Muv Luv: Eternal
by taovkool
Summary: His endless battles, his endless loops, the endless war that consumes the world... All of it is approaching its ends. Shirogane Takeru stood next to another otherworldly boy with the sword on his back. "All rules has been broken! The eternal stalemate is over! Now that the First Round ends, it's time for the Second Round to begin!" Muv Luv/Eien no Aselia crossover.
1. The Two Paths Collides

**One Who was Forgotten. One Who Wanders Through Blood and Pain. _The Two Paths Collides._**

* * *

This is a realm where nothing exists.

An void planet where not a single speck of oxygen nor water exist to sustain life of any kind.

A barren wasteland where not a single lifeforms could live.

An empty world.

And yet for some reason, in this desolate place, a single boy continue to exist.

He had the profane look of a Japanese youngster around the age of 16 to 17.

He was wearing the high school uniform of a certain high school, coupled with a simple white leather duster to protect him from the occasional dust.

The youngster doesn't seem to be troubled despite the lack of atmosphere. And he doesn't seem to be suffering from hunger or dehydration despite not having anything to eat or drink for several days.

He was merely staring solemnly into the ruins of the former civilization.

High-rise buildings, statues, banks, government buildings, iron bridges, and many more.

Some of the buildings has parts of it sank deep into the ground. The roads and cars were also likely to be buried under the ground considering how much sand and dust have been piled up, increasing the land mass significantly.

"Hm.. how very post-apocalyptic. This is reminding me of that video game I used to play back in the heyday, what was it called again? 'Fall-' something? Damn, I couldn't remember the last part." said the youngster in a cheerful manner.

He was the only living being in that world, but another voice responded to his antique.

_"Don't try to pretend to be cheerful like that. I know you well enough that a catastrophe this big is still going to affect your mind."_

It was an older and wiser voice. A much sterner and dignified one. The youngster chuckled when he heard his partner's voice.

"...As expected. After all this time, I still can't fool you. I guess it's one of the consequences of being connected in souls."

_"Hmph, if you learn to close the holes in your soul you could gain some privacy. But I see that will take some time."_

"...Sorry for being such an amateur."

After saying that half-jokingly, the youngster changed his solemn face into a serious one.

"...Is this another one of her plan?"

A hint of disgust was carried into his voice when the youngster mentioned about "her".

_"No, doubtful. She hasn't manifested yet. Not enough power to. This is something different."_

"Do you think this was a natural cause? Maybe the people themselves caused their own destruction?"

_"This kind of destruction in just several years is not possible even if they had dozens of nuclear weapons. It would take at least a hundred year for the planet to reach this level of destruction."_

"So it's an anomaly?"

_"It's uncommon, but possible."_

"Where is it?"

_"It's not here. Probably it has moved on to another world."_

The youngster clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. Then he halfheartedly complains in a dull voice.

"So this is going to be a pain in the ass job... Can we skip this one?"

_"You know that we can't."_

"Why not? She's not involved in this, isn't she? Which means her lackeys isn't the cause either, so we can skip this one as a natural disaster."

_"Not possible, our job is not to fight her but to protect the stability of the worlds. That Matriarch might be the cause most of the time, but there are times when the natural order become distorted on its own because of an anomaly. Which makes it our job to investigate the anomaly and fix whatever was causing it."_

"Fine, fine... damn workaholic. Can you trace its location?"

_"I'll show you... But, you sure you're not going to contact them?"_

The youngster calm expression immediately changed into the face of a child afraid of being scolded by his mother.

"No, don't! She's still angry because I ran off and left her in the middle of a volcano in the last world! Even though it was an accident, she's definitely going to turn me into mincemeat and scatter my remains all across the galaxy! That's not a speculation or an expression of words! It's a fact and it will happen for real if I contacted her!"

The voice didn't respond immediately, but several seconds afterwards.

_"...Sorry..."_

"Huh? Why are you apologi- Don't tell me...!"

For the first time he arrived in that world, this was the first time the youngster panicked like a proper human being. From his comical reaction, it was likely the youngster was referring to another person than the first one he mentioned.

"YOU TOLD THEM! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TOLD THEM! AREN'T WE SUPPOSED TO BE PARTNERS?-! AT THIS RATE, I REALLY WILL BE A SCATTERED MINCEMEAT IN THE GALAXY!"

The voice sighed, exclaiming his partner's stupidity.

"STOP SIGHING AS IF YOU JUST RAN OUT OF TISSUE IN A BATHROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF AN EMERGENCY! HOW DO YOU PLAN TO FIX THIS!"

_"That's an overly specific analogy. Did it happen in some world when you turned into a normal human?"_

"Guh! A-aside from my abnormal transformation, I'd like to think I'm still a normal human being..."

_"Calling you normal is an insult to other normal lifeforms in the worlds. Besides, no normal human being can travel between worlds like you just did."_

"...Please spare me..."

The youngster gets teary eyed and the voice sounded as if it was tired of making fun of the youngster.

_"We're wasting time here."_

"Ugh... Fine, fine, I'll get serious. Can you figure out anything about the anomaly?"

_"I already found out about its location when you were wallowing in despair..."_

The youngster's eyebrows twitched a little, but he managed to calm down his panic attack.

"Show me what you found out."

His back began to glow in a strange light.

No, it would be more accurate to say that the thing carried on his back was glowing in a strange light.

_"The anomaly is a human being, and he is- ...Oh boy._" The voice let out a strange noise as if it was surprised by something.

"What? What?"

The thing behind his back glowed once more, this time the light was stronger than before.

_"Yes, I just verified it... It seems this one is going to be trouble."_

The youngster made a "Hmm..." sound as if he was deep in thought. "...Is he really that powerful?"

_"No, the problem is not about his power."_

"?" In response, the youngster frowned out of confusion.

"It's his origin, it seems like he came from your old original world."

In an instant the youngster's face has changed. It was not a calm gaze anymore.

Nor was it a serious expression.

It was the blood lusted face of a warrior hungry for battle.

"Hey partner."

The youngster grabbed the thing on his back and brandishes it towards sky.

It was a sword.

A sword brandished with golden hilt engraved with strange symbols and pure silver scabbard.

A voice came from inside the sword as if it was alive. _"What is it master?"_

The youngster smiled hearing his old partner's voice. "Point the way."

A ray of light shone across the wastelands. Thunders and lightnings that hasn't appeared for hundreds of years has now filled the empty skies.

_"As you wish."_

A ray of light brighter than the sun engulfed the boy and his sword.

When the light receded, the world is empty once more.

* * *

"Man, this is one messed up world."

Through unknown means, the youngster arrived into a pile of ruins.

But this time it was a different pile of ruins than before.

In front of the youngster was an old broken down house with plenty of dusts and dirts accompanied with occasional broken bricks and concretes. And right next to that house was a broken down mech like the ones in a sci-fi movie. When he saw the mech, the youngster subtly whistled.

"Wow... is that a real gundam? I guess this is one of those science-oriented world, isn't it?"

A person would have frowned if they were to see him talking to himself like that, however the youngster was not talking to himself as a voice responded from his sword.

_"Yes, the flow of mana here is so thin, it barely even exist. We should take precautions."_

"Hai hai, for a sword you are too capricious you know that?"

_"Hmph, and you are much too careless to be my wielder."_

The youngster managed to stifle a laugh, then he moved his gaze into the old house right next to the broken mech.

"What happened to this world? Did some kind of a war broke out?"

_"That's quite possible. If that is true, then we are right in the middle of a war zone. Be careful, if we are found by any soldier, they might mistaken us as a spy."_

"Yeah... If they uses conventional science weaponry like guns and rifles we might be able to fight a whole army. But since a machine as advanced as a gundam mech existed. A fight might be very difficult... but that's a also interesting in it's own way."

_"...I've never seen you this battle-crazed before, did something trigger this outburst?"_

"Hey, it's a mech. A gundam-like mech. How can you possibly not interested in one of those?"

_"Haa.. why do I even bother."_ The sound from the sword carries a tone of resignation, which means it has probably gotten used to his weird antiques.

"Anyway..." The youngster pointed his fingers into the broken down old house. "Is this also an anomaly?"

The sword the youngster carried on his back glowed for a few seconds, then it answered with a concerned tone.

_"No, this is only a part of it. The anomaly originates from this location. But he has moved on into another place."_

"I see... That is quite troublesome." The youngster frowned, but he immediately gave a playful grin. "Well, no point in staying around then."

_"...I know this is rather contradictory, but can you at least be nervous about this a little? An anomaly that could traverse the boundary of the world is dangerous enough that it could destroy every other world like a stacking domino."_

"So? What's your point? Just the two us standing between the stability of the world and disaster. Isn't that what happen every time? And besides, how could I be nervous when there's something really exciting in this world!"

_"Let me guess..."_ the sword sighed exasperatedly,_ "It's this machine, isn't it?"_

It doesn't take a genius to know that the sword was referring to the broken down machine right next to the old house.

"Of course it's the gundam mech! Do you know how much I used to dream to ride on one of those things when I watched it on TV? Fufufu, there really is a benefit on becoming a traveler of worlds, after all."

Again, the sword voiced another exasperated sigh. _"Not to argue with your childhood dreams, but haven't we already found one of this machine several worlds before?"_

"What? The one that only females can use? That was completely unfair and downright racism to men! How the hell can that world even create such a meaningless law like that?-! And besides, there was only one boy who could use the mech and he's completely surrounded by busty beauties and he's completely dense on how they fell head over heels for him! Don't you think it's unfair?-! He can ride mechs and popular with girls! Daaammnnn iiiittt!"

The sword sighed for the third time that day.

_"...Why did I chose an idiot like this to be my wielder-...Nnnnh!-?"_

The mysterious talking sword gave a rare meaningless grunt the youngster rarely heard.

It cut out his speech of pent up grudge and his body stiffened naturally into a combat ready stance.

"What is it? Is it the anomaly?-!"

_"Perhaps... perhaps not... What is this? This is the first time I've ever sense something like this."_

"Something you never sensed before...? Okay, that's definitely serious. Can you find where it is?"

The talking sword chuckled a little as if the youngster has just asked him the most ridiculous question there is.

_"Of course I can, was there even any doubt?"_

* * *

Through some mysterious power, the youngster miraculously appeared on top of a hill that overlook the entire city ruins with a flash of light.

The youngster gazed into the terrible view where the once supposedly flourished city has turned into nothing but wasteland.

"...I'll say it again, this is one messed up world."

_"Glad you're enjoying the scenery, but those ruins are not the only one on the horizon."_

"You mean that military base, right?"

The youngster turned around facing a huge building with big white satellite dish right on top of its tower.

The name of the building was clearly written on a board attached to the building.

"Yokohama Base, eh..."

With a single glance, the boy could tell from the number of armed personnel, weapons, and heavy machinery he could see in the yard, that this Yokohoma Base was most likely a very important military base. And a big one at that, since a large number of forces were gathered right inside of it. After several minutes of staring into the base, the youngster frowned as if he was troubled with something.

_"Can you sense it?"_ a sound echoed from the sword as if he was asking confirmation of a suspicion.

"Yes, something is strange inside that base. Something big is alive underneath it. And I don't mean it like an experimental animal or bioweapon... This is something huge. Something on the level of Godzilla or Dracula or something..."

_"...Dracula's not that big."_

"Yeah, but he sure is dangerous. Assuming he even exist to begin with. Oh! I have an idea!"

The youngster smiled mischievously the way he always do when he had an idea for his next prank.

"Say, why don't we pay those guys a visit?"

_"You mean walk right in into a highly guarded military base? Of course, what a splendid idea you have."_

"Spare me the sarcasm. Do you find anything about... whatever it is you sensed before?"

_"Yes, it's most likely that it is inside that base. Haa… no choice, We have to investigate it, it might have something to do with the anomaly."_

"Ehehe... So it's clear what we have to do! I always wanted to infiltrate a military base."

_"...Haven't you already done that before?"_

"Yeah, but there's no mech in it! But this time, it's different! I wonder how it feels like to fight a mech head on... Ufufu, infiltrating a military base full of mechs like gundams... This is going to be exciting! I wonder if I could hijack one and take it for a ride..."

The sword gave off the fourth sigh of the day.

* * *

The youngster was walking on a large field. Several target practice and training dummies plus a running track that circles the entire field has proven that the area he was walking on is a training field for recruits and cadets.

_"We're going in from the yard...? Are you insane or just plain stupid? No, no, I almost forgot. You're both."_

"Ahaha, take it easy will ya. Besides, I put on a cloak, remember? No one will be able to notice us unless they get really close."

It is surprising that the youngster managed to keep himself hidden from those factors despite not staying out in the open view. Even though it seems empty, the entire yard was monitored with security cameras, satellite surveillance, occasional guard patrols looking from afar with their scopes and a young girl drinking from a bottle near the yard entrance.

...Huh? A young girl?

Yes, that's a girl. And a cute one at that. She seemed to be 17 or 18, tall, pure white skin with long dark blue hair twirled up in a strange manner, her excellent figure could guarantee her any job in the modeling agency, which is a shame since she's in the military. She's also quite diligent since she was exercising by herself even though it was already nightfall, as proven from the amount of sweat trickled down through her skin.

_"Hey, master. If that girl is still resting too close to the entrance to the base then we are in trouble. The cloak won't affect her if we were to close, she'll definitely see you and the whole base will go loud with gunshots."_

Given that the youngster was an otherworldly creature, it would be easy for him to knock her out in an instant. But the youngster's instinct was telling himself not to underestimate her. Even though she was sweating hard from her exercise, she still exude a noble and righteous aura that only someone of royalty would have. Causing international problem would make things harder in this world.

"Ah, who am I kidding. As if infiltrating a highly guarded military base won't get me any trouble."

_"So what are you planning to do? Nothing stupid I hope."_

"...Let's knock her out for a while."

_"You're hitting innocent bystanders now? Damn it, your heart have grown cold."_

"Don't worry, I'll try to be as gentle as I can."

_"Stop it, you're starting to sound like a protagonist from an eroge game."_

"Who knows? Maybe I am, in another world."

_"Sigh, whatever, are you going to knock her out or what?"_

"Hm? I thought you were against hitting innocent bystander."

_"That's because she's not innocent anymore, look, she's throwing a punch at you."_

"Wha-" (WHAM!)

A slender leg with a boot on its foot hit the youngster straight in his face. As a result, he was thrown back several meters away on the courtyard.

_"Ah, sorry, that was a kick."_

"Ouch, ouch, ouch… That's a little too late for a warning, don't you think?-!"

Just as the youngster was groaning in pain, the girl who landed the kick earlier spoke up to him.

"Forgive me for doing such things without warning, but I do not recognize your face and your clothes are clearly not the uniform of this base. Which means, you are either a civilian wandering where he is not supposed to or a spy infiltrating the base for information. Since there are no notifications of a civilian visiting the base and no indication of security catching any curious civilians, I have deduced that you are the latter. Since you have not triggered the base alarm system, you are clearly skilled. Against such a foe, I concluded that a preemptive strike is necessary. Now please answer my question, who are you?""

'A sharp one, eh...? What's with that overly polite tone anyway?' The youngster thought as he struggles to make a suitable excuse.

"No, no, I'm neither... Um... I'm... uh... Okay, just a second... Erm..."

"A spy?"

"Y-yeah, a spy! ...Wait, I'm not! I'm... just... a wandering passerby! Yes, that one!"

The sword sighed deep within its mine, while the girl slowly rubbed her temple.

_"...This is just too embarrassing."_

"...Unbelievable."

Both his sword and the girl who kicked him simultaneously agreed about his incompetence. The girl curled up her lips in disappointment, while the sword complained telepathically.

"Gaahhh! Be quiet for a bit! The girl over there! Stop looking at me with such pitying eyes! And you damn sword! Stop mumbling in a low voice! I can hear your painful complains deep in my soul!"

"Hm? What are you talking about? Who are you talking to?"

"Oh, crap!" The youngster exclaimed idiotically.

His sword cannot speak normally, but it can deliver its thoughts telepathically to its wielder. So the only one that can have a normal conversation with the sword is the one who wields it. An outsider, like the girl in front of him, would definitely found him suspicious if he's talking to himself.

"Don't tell me..." The girl eyed him suspiciously. "You're wearing a communication device on your ears and there's someone on the other side! Which means right now, someone could be monitoring the base and the soldier's every movement! This might be bigger than I had suspected... Intruder, surrender now or I will have to use force."

True to her words, the girl drew her sidearm and pointed it to the youngster.

"Wait a minute! You're wrong! You're making a big mistake! Arrgggh, I just don't care anymore!"

"…! Cease your struggl—"

Before the blue haired girl finished that sentence, however, the youngster ran out of conscience.

With an abnormal speed, faster than human reflexes, the youngster hit her solar plexus pretty hard.

* * *

In the corridor of Yokohama Base, a youngster with peculiar outfit different from the soldiers of the base was walking silently with his sword on his back.

Unlike the rest of the military personnel, the youngster was wearing a high school uniform coupled with a white leather duster. If he met any soldier on patrol, he would definitely be considered as a spy and arrested immediately... Or shot on sight, depending on how the military works.

Midnight had already came upon the base, it is only natural that there are only few people that are still awake in the base.

But that is not the case today.

". . . . . "

_". . . . ."_

"Shut up!"

_"I didn't say anything."_

"Yeah, but you're thinking! It's annoying! So STOP IT!"

_"I never thought I would ever hear someone complain about somebody else's thinking."_

"It's annoying because I could sense what you're thinking. Does the word 'connected in soul' means anything to you?"

_"Sigh... So what are you going to do about this mess?"_

Most likely, the sword was referring to the situation of the military base.

Alarms screaming out, red emergency lights lit up all around the corner, steel doors sealed several areas of the base, soldiers and officers running around the base with their guns and rifles at the ready, the sound of mechanics preparing the war machines and the strange robots for battle, a pre-recorded announcement with the sound of a woman speaking about intruder alert emergency and the base's lockdown condition from the speakers.

It's obvious what the cause of this commotion is.

_"Again, what are you going to do about this mess?"_

". . . . . . . . . . . . . I dunno . . . . . . . . . . . . "

_"...Somehow, I know you're going to say that..."_

"I can't help it, okay! I never thought that her friends would saw the whole thing and then they ganged up on me! Ach, damn it! That red-haired twin-tailed girl has good aim. She got me pretty good." said the youngster as he winches when he slowly rubbed his chest. Strangely, there was no wound. Even though his clothes are made of normal fibers instead of a high-grade bulletproof material, somehow it seemed like he had survive a gunshot unscathed.

_"...She was pretty similar to that little kid back in Phantasmagoria."_

"I know, she took me by surprise, that's why she managed to shot me in the first place."

_"On a side note, have you awoken a sadist? I swear you had a very strange smirk on your face when you knocked out all those girls."_

"No, that's not it! They just gave a pretty good fight despite being just a normal human; the humans in this world sure are amazing..." the youngster fell silent for a while before he suddenly screamed in surprise. "Wait a minute! Did I just sound like a monster lord in an RPG meeting the hero's party for the first time and then let them go because they're too amusing to be dead only to be slain afterwards when the hero and his party leveled up through countless battles?"

_"Amazing, such a perfect interpretation."_

The youngster slumped his shoulders, feeling pretty down. He continue walking deeper into the base where the main bulk of the army soldiers has gathered.

However, despite all the commotion, the boy walked casually with no sign of hesitation about directions or fear of any patrols. In fact, a squad of MPs carrying assault rifles searching for intruders simply walked past him even though he was right in front of them.

It was as if some mysterious energy was guiding him on where to go and misdirect any sign of security so that none of them would detect the youngster. Considering how the sword on his back was talking, this was most likely an apt description.

"I guess this means I'm the villain now, huh."

_"You think? Take a look outside."_

Of course, it would be impossible for a human to see through walls without equipment like thermal visor or the like, but the youngster can do such things with ease. To put it in a more concrete, if he focused his mind enough, he can sense his surroundings to a certain radius.

And what came into vision when he does exactly that is...

"Total chaos."

_"Yes."_

"And it's because of little old me?"

_"That's right."_

"Then why hasn't they found me yet? Isn't this supposed to be a high-grade military base?"

_"I erected a force field around you to keep anyone from this area. That sloppy cloak of yours won't be enough to get out of this."_

"That's kind of rude, but thanks."

_"No problem."_

The youngster and his sword kept a calm and humorous atmosphere around them as if the chaos outside was just a carnival parade for kids and teenagers. But that soon came to an end when the youngster telepathically asked his sword a question.

"Another thing."

_"What?"_

"This force field will keep anyone from seeing me right?"

_"Yes, it won't prevent anyone from entering. But no one will ever notice you even though you are right next to them. Not even the surveillance cameras could see you."_

"Nice, it's way better than my cloak."

_"It's a really poor made cloak. You didn't focus enough mana when you made it."_

"Yes, yes, I'll fix it up later. Anyway, I got another question, how long is the radius of this force field exactly?"

_"It covers this entire floor, why do you ask?"_

"If that's the case, then **why is that guy in front of me keep staring in this direction as if he could see me?**"

Standing in front of the youngster was another foreign being that doesn't belong in this world.

* * *

Who is this person?

That was what I thought when I ran into a boy in the corridor.

The boy in front of me was very strange and suspicious. Even more so when he had a sword on his back, who the hell would use a sword in an era of TSFs?

Seeing someone suspicious wearing such a strange outfit with little similarity to the rest of the soldiers in the middle of a lockdown is already a signal for every soldier to draw his sidearm.

But I couldn't.

Even though my logic and military-self was yelling at me to quickly pull my gun and then point it at the suspicious boy, my hand was frozen solid.

It had nothing to do with a guilty conscience of pointing my gun to someone, no soldier would ever do something as stupid as that in the middle of an emergency, nor was it because I had met that boy somewhere before, this is the first time I ever met him.

But for some reason, I just can't do it.

I can't even move a single part of my body.

This is the first time I ever met that boy.

But this... this is not the first time I've ever seen his appearance.

The boy was not wearing a standard U.N. Military uniform or anything like that. The boy was wearing a high school uniform similar to the ones I saw within my dreams. No, I don't mean that it was the same with the uniform of Hakuryou school back in my world, the color and pattern was far too different. But the style... It gave off a strange homesick feeling I never felt before.

And then, the reason has finally came to me.

It was the same style the schools in the peaceful country of Japan would have if it weren't invaded by the foreign monsters.

"You... Are you..."

The boy in front of me blinked several times when he heard my stuttering.

"So he really can see me. Huh... interesting."

Hearing his words somehow snapped me back to reality, seconds later, I drew my sidearm and pointed it into the boy's head.

"Oi, oi, is that really necessary?"

The boy playfully put his hands up.

This doesn't make any sense. He's armed with only a sword on his back and at this range I have the obvious advantage. So why? Why do I feel like a kid pointing a toy gun on a giant monster? Why do I feel like I was fighting a Fort-class BETA without a TSF?

Not good. My hand started to tensed up and I held my pistol even tighter. The only time I ever felt this way was the time when I faced the BETA at the training grounds in the outbreak incident. I wiped the sweat of my face and started talking.

"I don't know who... or what you are, but put your hands up and throw that sword on your back down."

"And if I don't?" The boy made a small grin. "...I doubt you know who or what I am, but at least you could sense what I'm capable of, right? Mr. Anomaly?"

...! Wha..! How does he...? Don't tell me... He knew?-!

"That surprised expression is all the proof I need. You really are the anomaly of this world."

But... there's no way... unless... he... he was the one... the one that turned me to a causality conductor... the one who got me here!

"SO IT'S YOU!"

"Ha?

"So it's you... the reason I stuck here... the reason I lost my everyday life... and the reason I was thrown into this chaotic world... It's all... BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"...Ha..?"

If that's the case... Then this guy...

"Umm... I think you just misunderstood something serious and...-Okay, what's with that glare? You're emitting killing intent I could sense half a mile away. Oh crud, is it something I said?"

"If that's the case... Then you are..."

"Wh-what's the case with what?"

"Then you are... My ENEMY!"

"Wha-! I'm not your-...! Oh, why do I even bother..."

Filled with rage, I pulled the trigger of my sidearm.

* * *

Whoa! That was dangerous... I know bullets and gunshots aren't very effective on someone like me, but it still hurts a lot, and pain is not what I like to enjoy. Seems like my reflexes hasn't dropped much since I could dodge that bullet without this sword's help. Still, the fact that boy suddenly opened fire when I revealed his identity proved three things.

One, this guy was not transported here voluntarily.

Two, he thought I was the one who got him here.

And three, if he's not here on his own volition, then who sent him here?

Okay, the third one was more of a question than a proof. Regardless, I think I need to calm him down... somehow.

It's kind of hard to calm someone down when the person you were supposed to calm down was trying to kill you... Haaa, part of the job I guess.

By the way, this line of thought passed through my head only 0,5 second after I dodged his first shot. It's because of a very special ability that accelerates my nervous system in times of danger. I'd like to call it: Adrenaline Rush. How cliched.

"How did you...?"

That guy seemed too surprised by my Matrix-like dodging style. Well, I suppose that's understandable. Wasting words on him like this won't help. Let's knock him out a little.

"Here I go!"

I dashed forward right in front of him, hoping to launch an uppercut on his neck before he could even respond.

"...Tch...!"

But that boy was also fast, way too fast for ordinary humans. He reflexively pulled his head backward to avoid my super-speed uppercut and launched a punch on my chest. Contrary to his expectation, I merely grunted a bit, showing no signs of pain from the punch. He widened his eyes in shock when I grinned at him maliciously. Well, it's obvious. For me, that punch was like a kid shooting a rubber band on a metal. I hardly felt anything, not even a small prickle of pain.

"Damn it!"

He retreated backward and pulled the trigger of his pistol. It made three loud sounds of 'BANG!' and launched three killer metals into my direction. All aimed accurately on my vitals. All of which I spectacularly dodged. He must've been very angry because he thought I was the one who got him here. And to think I was here to help him back and stabilize this world. Man, talk about the irony.

Talking about irony, this scene kind of remind of me of the duel between Wesker and Redfield in RE5. Oh, the irony.

"You done? I'll admit that was some awesome reflex you got there. Now's my turn."

Not even waiting for his response, I grabbed the collar of his uniform and slammed his head to the wall. Normally, someone would have been knocked unconscious with that level of trauma on their heads, but apparently this guy is so thick-headed, he merely staggered and fell on the ground with a nosebleed, some bruises and a slight bleeding on his forehead. He's still glaring at me with a pretty ferocious eyes as he struggles to stand.

"Persistent one, aren't you?"

"...You...bastard..." said the soldier as he leaned on the wall.

I thought he was weakened, so I let my guard down... but that was a mistake. He suddenly launched a kick directly aimed on my face. I was thrown backward from the impact and a cut appeared on my handsome cheek. Damn it! His kick was powerful... way more powerful than the girl from before. It was so powerful he actually managed to cut me a little. I know it sounds a little exaggerated, but it would take the same amount of damage as a truck speeding on 150 mph to even get a scratch on me.

Speaking of which, this is the second time today someone kicked me in the face! Do I look like some sort of a kicking bag to you people?-!

"Really now.. That actually hurts a little."

I managed to stifle a laugh, which I think irritated him a little.

"TAKE THIS!" No, I think irritated might be an understatement.

He charged at me with another punch aimed at my face... But I won't allow my face to be a victim anymore... Time to end this little brawl.

"...!"

I caught his punch with my right hand... then I surprised him by tightening my grip on his fist. It must've hurt a lot, since he cringes in pain.

Then I staggered him with a fast jab, grabbed him in the neck, and threw him into the ground head first.

There... I know it's not nice, but with that he should be unconscious for a while. Now where should I carry him? Maybe that broken down old house in the city ruins would be goo-...?

. . . . . . . What. . . . the. . . . hell?

. . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . .

"...You're one persistent bastard, you know that?"

...Unbelievable... even after all that trauma and concussion in his head... this guy is not out of the fight yet... he is still trying to fight... Even now he's still struggling to get himself up... I could see it in his eyes... it was the same like...

. . . . . . . . . . . . .eh, whatever. . . . .

I sighed a little. Not wanting to see such a pathetic sight, I lowered my battle stance and offered him a hand.

"...What is this?" He spoke in a rough and spiteful voice.

"It's a hand, if you don't know anything about it, then you need to seriously restart your education from kindergarten."

"That's not what I meant! You were-!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you meant. I'm not the one who sent you here."

"What?-! But...then...how did you-"

"-know about your Parallel-World Travelling Business? Of course, I do. Have you even considered the fact that I'm the same as you?"

"...!" As expected, I guess he didn't. A shoot-first-ask-questions-later kind of guy, eh? Well, at least I managed to calm him down.

"Judging from that expression, no, you didn't. You suddenly fired your gun and assaulted me, a civilian. That means it's not just going to end in corporal punishments, you know."

"...Yes, that would be the case... if that civilian didn't suddenly trespassed into one of the U.N. military base and assaulted one of its officer." Crap... almost forgot about that one. "So tell me." Huh? "Who are you? And... are you really the same just like me?"

"Ah... the obvious question anyone in my place would expect. The answer to that question is yes... and no."

"What?"

"I'll explain later. This place is not very good for a long lecture, those gunshots will attract some attentions, my sword couldn't hide that noise. For now, you should treat your wounds. You put up a pretty good fight, by the way."

I get the feeling that he doesn't fully understand what I was saying. But he nodded anyway. At least, reluctantly, I think.

"Right, with that done, do you have anyone that knows about your real identity?"

He kept silent for a while, as expected he's still wary about me. Hell, even I would. Thrown up into a totally different world without knowing what's going on or what was happening... is an experience I know well.

"...Yeah, there's one. She's one of the highest ranking officer in this base."

"Oh? Really?" Well, that changes the plan. Things will be simpler if someone with authority knows what's going on. Staying in the base for a while seems like a logical course of action. "Then, here's the thing, tell her to come visit me in the cell room, I'll be waiting there for a while."

"...What? The cell room?"

Without answering his questions, I whispered to my partner who's been silent for a while.

"Hey, dispel the barrier."

_"...Alright..."_

"H-hey, what did you mean by-"

"Don't move!"

As if on cue, a bunch of soldiers and MPs started appearing from the corridor. Cutting off that boy from his question and pointing their rifles at me. Well, not that it matters, we could have more opportunities to talk later. One of the MP suddenly yelled.

"Throw your weapon! Put your hands in the air and back away from the officer!"

Better comply to their orders for now, I took a few steps backward, threw my partner into the floor and put my hands up. And yet even after showing my complete resignation, one of them threw me down into the floor harshly and cuffed me just as hard. I wonder if I should just force my way out.

"Command, we found the intruder on Sector-29, proceeding to restrain and apprehend! We're moving him into the detention cell."

Haaa... a detention cell huh? Haven't been there in a while. I looked back into that boy I fought before and noticed a medic was already right next to him with a pack of bandages. I guess I did quite a number on him. Right... better do it now.

For a moment time was cut off, one second suddenly become as long as one minute. The boy seemed confused when he saw everything and everyone moved slower as if it was a movie in slow-motion.

"Yo, can you hear me?"

"...!"

The boy suddenly showed a shocked expression. And it was obvious for him to react that way, since I didn't use my mouth to speak. And he is probably starting to understand why everything started going slower.

"I'm talking to you directly in your mind. Don't ask how, it's a bit complicated. If you want to talk just speak inside your mind. Unlike a friend of mine, I could only maintain the Time Acceleration for a few seconds, so I'll make this fast. "

After I explained it that way, he quickly regained his composure and nodded. He's probably getting used to these unexplainable things.

"What's your name?"

He frowned a little as if he didn't expect that question. But he answered it nonetheless.

"Shirogane... My name is Shirogane Takeru. Second Lieutenant."

"Heh, name and rank? What a very militaristic way of introduction. The name's Takamine Yuuto. Yuuto the Sage if you want the official title. I'm a bit lacking in the 'Sage' part, so don't bother calling me that. Nice to meet you, Shirogane-san."

* * *

**On a lovely Sunday night, I was relaxing on my desk with my computer up front finishing the Lesteena route of Eien no Aselia... again. What can I say? I was dead bored. And then suddenly, I noticed a new e-mail just popped up on my inbox. It's a notification from our beloved that the 62th chapter of Muv Luv: One Last Time into the Loop has been updated. It's only days and a new update just popped up. Nice work, Paul.**

**And then it struck me.**

**What would happen if I combine the war and tragedy of Muv Luv with the fantasy and tragedy of Eien no Aselia? What would happen if I combine the magic of Eternal with the science of the super soldier and TSFs? What would happen to that war-torn world when the two abnormalities are gathered together? And most importantly... what would happen to mankind's greatest enemy when another outsider joins the fray?**

**At first, this is just little bits of notes I wrote when I'm dead bored of the lecture at school (which happens quite often). Slowly but surely it forms quite a decent plot, one that even I didn't expect.**

**...This could either be a potentially awesome story or the worst there is... Let's hope I won't screw it up. And I'm gonna need reviews to make sure I won't. Your help would be most appreciated.**

**Anywho... usually a crossover requires the reader to understand both part of the story, but I'll just be blunt and say that this won't be necessary. I'm more of an avid Muv Luv fan than Eien, so expect a heavier dose of Muv Luv gory goodness in the story. It's another reason why I didn't put it on the crossover category.**

**...Now then, next is just another segment of the prologue...**

**The true chaos is yet to begin.**


	2. Truth Incognito

**The Hero Descends. To Save or to Destroy? ****_Truth Incognito._**

* * *

**(Shirogane Takeru)**

Ughh... W-where am I? And what happ-...? Ow! Damn it... my body's hurting all over... it feels like I've been rammed by several hordes of BETAs... Guh...! Just thinking a little gave me tons of headaches... What happened to me exactly...? Is this... a hospital? ...No, more like an infirmary at the base... My head is covered with bandages... and I get this painful feeling that my ribs was slanted somehow... how did I ended up like this...?

. . . . . . .

Ah, I remember now... I was beaten up by the intruder before... that guy... he was ridiculously strong... What was his name again...? Yui...? No, idiot... that's a girl's name... Yuuto? ...Ah yeah... I finally remember...

...Takamine Yuuto...

Who exactly was that guy? He was strong... Unreasonably strong... His speed and reflexes was also ridiculous... dodging bullets at 10 meters range...? Totally ridiculous... if I don't know any better, I'll say he was some genetically engineered soldier with enhanced strength, speed, and reflexes...

...But that's not who he is...

That's because... he... knows who I really am... who Shirogane Takeru really is... and those strange powers... who the hell is he...?

. . . . . . .

I better discuss this with Yuuko-sensei the moment she got here. I have to tell her that the person inside the cell right now is no ordinary human being...

After that, maybe I should visit that Takamine Yuuto in the prison cell to talk with him too... figure out who... _what_ exactly he is... but... with what he's capable of... there's a chance he could destroy the entire Yokohama Base... if that happens then...

"Oi, oi, do you think I look like some mindless monster that destroys everything in its path? Who am I, Godzilla?"

"Yeah, Seeing as that guy peacefully surrendered, I don't think he's the type of a person that will do something like-...AAAAHHHHHHH!"

...Wh-what the... what the hell...?-! he's supposed to be incarcerated... or in the interrogation room... or at least in trial... so... so... WHY THE HELL IS HE EATING APPLES FROM A FAREWELL BASKET WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD?-!

"...Geez, you gotta learn to relax a little. Getting tensed up for every little detail will only tire you out."

The aforementioned intruder of Yokohama Base was peacefully munching an apple while couching leisurely on a sofa right next to my bed.

"Hmm... I'm glad I could have a bite of an organic food, right now. I tried the synthetic food this base have in the cafeteria... or was it PX? Well, whatever. The point is, I have to admit, the synthetic food tastes similar to the organic one. But it lacks... I don't know... delicacy, I think? Man, to think this world would be cornered this far. This BETA creature really is formidable."

"...!" This world...? So I was right... he's not from this world... he is... an outsider... just like me..."Who are you?"

"Hmm...? I told you before, didn't I? My name is Takamine Yuuto. Did you forgot about that already...? Oh! I didn't hit you that hard, right?"

"Not that... what I meant is... _what_ are you?"

"Can't you tell? I'm a human."

"Don't joke around with me!" I unconsciously raised my voice. "You have a superhuman speed and strength, you could speak with your mind and you could slow down the_ freaking_ time! Don't give me that 'I'm just a human' answer!"

"...Then what would you call yourself then...?"

What... is he talking about...? "Of course... I'm still a human...!"

Ignoring me, he continued speaking while still maintaining that nonchalant attitude. But I could sense something about him has changed from before.

"You spread destruction and errors on two parallel worlds by endlessly travelling between the two, you caused several changes on history that has thrown-off the physical balance of the world, and let's not forget you caused people around you endless pain and grief... So, I ask you, Shirogane Takeru... Are you really human?"

"...!" He... knows... that much? How does he knows...? Is it because of his... strange powers...? "How... do you... know...?"

He then answered while still chewing another batch of apple. "Oh, that Kouzuki Yuuko person told me about it."

"WHAT?" Y-Yuuko-sensei? N-no way...! Why did she..?-! Didn't she said she would carry it to her grave?

"Hey, it's true... Oh, right, you've been asleep for a day now. Let me tell you what happened yesterday. You must be hungry, right? Have a bite of this... organic apple while you're at it. I don't know why they emphasize the organic part. One of the soldier... no, I guess she's more of a lunch lady... anyway, an old lady friend of yours gave it to you while you're still asleep. It would be a waste if you don't eat it."

"O-oh, thanks... Wait, that's not right! And why are you eating my apples?-! Aren't those supposed to be mine?-! AH! You already finished the half of it! I don't know what world you came from, but organic fruits are a delicacy in this world!"

"It all started when I was brought out of the detention cell and into the interrogation room..."

"STOP IT! I'M DEAD HUNGRY, RIGHT NOW! SO STOP TELLING THE STORY WHILE YOU'RE MUNCHING AWAY THE LAST VESTIGES OF MY DELICACY! STOP IT, DAMN IT! STOOOOOOOOOOOOP IIIIIIIIIIITTT!"

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

Aaaahh... The Interrogation Room...

I don't want to admit it, but due to my occupation, I've actually grown quite used to be interrogated.

And by interrogation, I mean _'getting-beaten-up-or-tortured-for-information-by-someone-that-doesn't-know-what-I-really-am-and-what-I'm-capable-of'_ kind of interrogation.

When I was brought in for investigation, there were two people that came into the room... One a Japanese man with a creepy glare in his eyes and the other a European woman, I'm guessing Italian, with an abnormally scary look... I guessed those two were my interrogators.

They maintained a deathly chill and oppressive aura when I first met them, which I think was their strategy of breaking down a person to spill their deepest secret. At first, they were polite... at least, I think they were... Is it polite when someone suddenly throw the chair and yell at you...? Well, whatever, it's not important. They asked me questions like 'Why did you come here?' 'How did you infiltrate the base?' 'Who sent you here?' And so on, and on, and on, and on... Every time I answered jokingly, they would start with the throwing chair, the yelling, the swearing and all that stuff. Not that it stopped me from joking around, mind you.

When they figured I won't break with intimidation, they started thinking whether they should use torture on me for information. No huge loss, I've been through a country where the 'lawmen' chopped the heads off people whose only crime was stealing a pinch of food. The fact that they hesitated on using torture was already a proof that I could withstand whatever kind of torture they could throw at me.

While I was pondering about those things, the door suddenly opened and a purple-haired woman with a lab coat entered the room...

Wait a minute... she's... did she... no... I guess it doesn't matter what she did...

"Hello there, Takamine Yuuto... I am Vice Commander Kouzuki Yuuko. How are you? I hope you enjoyed your stay here." ...Starting with jokes, eh? Well, two can play that game.

"Why yes I do. It's quite a lovely room you have here. Do you mind if I order room service?"

"Heh..." Hmm? She grinned? Oh crud, why does it seems familiar and yet dangerous at the same time? I don't know what, but my alarm bells are ringing. "Fine, I'll start with simple questions, then. What is your name?"

"Isn't it obvious? You said it yourself. My name's Takamine Yuuto."

"So far, I only found 137 people in Japan with that name, 121 of them are dead, 10 of them are older than 30 years old, 6 of them were around your age, you're maybe 15 or 16, right?" This officer has really done her homework, but it's pretty much useless. I'm not exactly 15 to 17, I'm centuries older than that, but she doesn't need to know about that.

"My sources already confirmed their whereabouts, and none of them infiltrated this base or beaten up one of our most talented officer in the past few weeks. There are no other Takamine Yuuto. And, no, I already made sure there are no fabrications within the records. I have a pretty accurate sources." Well, what do you expect...? Of course you won't find anything.

"I even searched through international channels, but so far none. So tell me, who are you and what is your name exactly?" She asked while still wearing that fake-and-insulting-smile of hers.

"Sigh... like I told you, my name is Takamine Yuuto."

"Is that so...?" That grin again? Okay, I'm getting bad vibes... why am I getting bad vibes? This woman feels reeeaaaallllly familiar somehow... and not the good kind. "Have it your way, I have a way to deal with that. Come on in, Yashiro." Yashiro? Who is that? Another interrogator? Or a torturer?

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

A girl? And a cute one at that, with the pure white bunny-like hair and all. What is she doing here? She quietly entered into the room and stood right next to the Vice Commander. An assistant, maybe?

"I'll ask you again. Who are you and what is your name?"

"I told you already... my name is Takami-...(Crack!) What the...!" What was that?-! It feels like... something just tried to drill into my mind! But who...? Is there even anyone who could do something like that in this world...?

"...What's wrong...? Is something wrong?" This woman... She did something just now... I know it.

"No, nothing. Anyway, like I said my name is Takamine Yuu-...(Crack!)...!" Again?-! Where is it coming from?

"..." The Vice Commander seemed to realize that something is wrong with... whatever it is she used to dig into my mind...

Fine, you want to see what's in my head? I'll show you what's in my head!

"Ah, sorry about that... My name is Takamine Yuuto...(Crack!)" Caught you! That bastard went inside...! But I'm not gonna show it all of my mind, only some of it will do. Preferably the bad memories I stored up right on my head!

"...Ha...!" Hmm? The girl that had just entered the room suddenly fell into the floor. What happened to her? "Yashiro!" The fake-smiling expression on this Kouzuki Yuuko disappeared as soon as this Yashiro girl fell to the floor. Kouzuki Yuuko caught her and signaled one of her subordinates to bring her outside. This Yashiro... why did she just... hang on... did she...?

"Kouzuki-san... That girl can read people's minds, can't she?" I voiced my suspicion as soon as we're alone.

"...!" Ah, that surprised expression says it all. "...How do you know...?"

"I have an extraordinarily sharp mind." I answered while grinning.

The woman named Kouzuki Yuuko glared at me. Half curious and half... I don't know what the other half is but I can't assume it's good.

. . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . .

Okay, we've been staring at each other for minutes and she started giving me the creeps. I thought I'm already immune to killing intents, but this glare of hers tops it all off. "...Who are you?" Lady, I've lost count how many times I heard that.

"Someone that doesn't belong in this world... just like the boy I've beaten up before."

"I see."

"You don't sound too surprised."

"Several weeks ago, a boy came to me with that same kind of ridiculous nonsense... which turns out to be true. And besides, I don't know if you noticed but not many people can beat Shirogane to a pulp." Yeah, that boy is strong. If I'm not a ridiculously super-powered being that could travel between universes, I'm probably the one ended up in the bed with several fractures. "And even less people could actually sense Yashiro's ability, and you not only sense it, you could even counter it. So, yes, I have my suspicions."

"Aaaahh... I see, you're the superior officer that knows about Shirogane's origin. Did he sent you here?"

"Nope, he's still unconscious on a bed in the infirmary. If he told me about you, I wouldn't have brought Yashiro here... Speaking of which, you've done quite a number on him. Why did you attacked him anyway? Why did you even come here?"

"It's part of the job." I answered curtly.

"A job?"

"Yes, a job. Everyone has a job... most of them, at least."

"Hmm... and does this 'job' of yours, includes travelling between parallel universes?"

Alright, I've seen and met different kinds of people with different kinds of species before, some of them aren't human, some of them eats humans. But by far, this Kouzuki Yuuko is the one that actually creeps me the most.

"Yeah, it's part of the description... You're awfully sharp for a military officer."

"Heh... that's right, a military officer wouldn't even think of such possibility. You see, I'm actually more of a scientist than a soldier." A scientist? Wait a minute... that's it! That's why I'm getting this familiarly creepy and annoying feeling! It's Youtia! She had this same crazy-mad-scientist aura like Youtia! "Hmm...? What's wrong? You looked as if you've just seen a ghost."

"Ah, nothing... Anyway, since you're sharp enough to guess my job, then maybe you're sharp enough to understand why I'm here."

"That's simple, Shirogane, isn't it?" she chuckled as I nodded to her answer. "Well, considering his situations, I shouldn't be surprised that another similar case would appear... But, in a way, you're different from him, aren't you? I don't know why or how, but you have more control over which world or dimension you want to enter. You also seem to possess some strange abilities if you could shield your mind from Yashiro." Strange abilities...? You could call it that, I guess. "Then, I have a question for you."

"This _is_ an interrogation room, right? Then by all means."

"...What do you hope to achieve by coming here?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"That remains to be seen."

"..." The professor turned another glare at me. I'm not expecting her to trust me... but I think we could come to terms with something.

"How about I made you a deal?"

"...What kind of deal...?"

"An answer for an answer." I have to choose my words carefully against these kind of calculative person, "I will answer whatever question you asked me, as long as you also answer the question I ask. How about that...?"

Kouzuki Yuuko fell silent for a moment. She must be weighing the pros and cons of it. Being a high-ranking officer in a military base, she had to be cautious about information, but now a stranger like me appeared and offered such a ridiculous deal. It's obvious she would act suspicious. Plus in her eyes I'm probably one of the biggest threat there is. But I know scientist-type like her... They wouldn't give up the chance of a new kind of knowledge. Even more so, when the object in question is an unknown and mysterious being like me... Wow, did I just refer to myself as an unknown and mysterious being...? I really am getting further and further from being human...

"how would I know that you're telling the truth...?" She asked.

"Simple, you could have that girl from before verify it... oh, don't glare at me like that. I won't show her another episode of nightmare-flash episode like before. I promise." ...Speaking of which, I have to apologize to that girl from before... If I'd known she was the one who was intruding on me, I wouldn't use such a cruel method.

"Then how would you know I'm telling the truth?" She added with a mischievous grin.

"I have my ways, I can always tell when a person lies." And I really meant it. Being a traveler of universe does have its perks. "..." And it seems the professor can make a guess about it as well. It shouldn't come as a surprise for her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Alright, then." She nodded after a long pause. "It's a deal. But I have one condition."

Oh? This should be interesting. "...What's that...?"

"Work for me." "No."

"An instant rejection? Don't you know a woman's heart? When a girl confessed, even if you wanted to refuse, you should at least be silent for several minutes so that it wouldn't break her heart too much."

"As far as I know, you are neither a girl-in-love or someone confessing to her loved one, so why should I do something as pointless as that?"

"...That's just rude. I'm still a woman, you know~~"

Okay, first she's all serious, now she's joking around...? Give me a break, will ya?

"...Haaa, whatever, anyway, I can't be your subordinate."

"Can I know the reason for that...?"

"Simple, our goals are ultimately different."

"...!" Her face has changed. She shot me a glare that releases a powerful aura... no, maybe I should call it a killing intent. This time her tone were as cold as ice and her playful tone disappeared out of nowhere. I can see it... this is how she looks like when she is dealing with a potential enemy.

"...Really? Do you even know what my objective is...?" She asked.

"No... in fact, I don't even need to know your objective to understand that you won't agree to mine."

"What?"

"Depending on the outcome, I might have to destroy this world to accomplish my objective."

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

". . . . . . . .** _what do you mean by that_.** . . . . . . . ?"

...Her voice was calm... not a peaceful calm, but more of a calm-before-the-storm kind of calm... If she could kill with just her eyes, I'd be dead a million times.

"Simply put, I'm the kind of a person sent to correct the balance of the worlds... Seeing as you are a scientist and a genius one at that, and right now Shirogane has become an anomaly that ruined the balance, that's why I'm here… to fix that balance."

"..."

"He's an anomaly... someone that exists in one world and yet continue to exist in another. And as such, constant travelling of data and information are being transmitted to-..."

"That's enough, I already have several hypotheses about that..."

". . . . . . Then you know there are two ways to fix the broken balance of the world. . . . . "

"...Two… ways…?"

"Yes… two ways… the first one is to find the source that attached Shirogane Takeru to this world and destroy it…"

"…"

"The second one is to destroy one of the parallel worlds where the anomaly attached itself. To be honest, it's a pain to move into another world since the gateway that I could use is going to be out of commission for at least a century, that means destroying this world should suffice to fix the problem with minimum consequences."

"…!"

SLAM!

...Okay, that was fast. The professor thrown the table aside and hold me in my collar. She was gritting her teeth out of anger and I think I could see a trickle of blood coming down from her lips.

**_"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?-!"_**

It doesn't take a genius to realize that the professor has exploded. She loses her cool and collected atmosphere and a violent one replaced it instead.

"DESTROY THE WORLD?-! MINIMUM CONSEQUENCES?-! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST TRYING TO PROTECT THIS WORLD?-! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY MORE WILL BE?-! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM ARE ALL DOING WHATEVER IT IS NECESSARY TO PRESERVE THEIR FUTURE IN THIS WORLD! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MOCKING ALL THEIR EFFORTS SO EASILY?-! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING LIKE THIS WORLD IS EXPENDABLE?-!"

"...Because it is."

"...W... WHAT?-!"

"Just let me go and I'll explain." I said as I effortlessly remove Kouzuki Yuuko's grip on my collar. She's still glaring at me with cold chilling eyes, but there was another mix into her face now...

It was fear.

To be precise, it was a mixture of emotions.

Confusion, Doubt, Reason, Refusal, Rejection, Powerlessness, Weakness, Anger, Hatred and many other conflicting emotions.

All of them formed into a powerful wave of fear.

"Do you know the concept of a Law Domino Effect, Yuuko-san?"

"…"

That fear has kept her silent.

"As you well know, Shirogane is highly involved in this. It's a phenomenon where causality information from a world is shared into another world and-… hmm, judging from your face, you already deduced about this."

"..."

"Well, you could probably guess then, that the effect of the exchange of causality information is not limited into two parallel-worlds."

"...!"

"Ah, I see you didn't deduce that far yet… then allow me to indulge your curiosity. Yes, between the two parallel-worlds causality information are being exchanged constantly through a pipeline, which in this case is Shirogane Takeru, fulfilling the empty space between the two worlds and establishing an equilibrium. But that constant exchange and equilibrium had its cost."

"...A…cost…?"

Her scientific mind overcome her fear for a moment and she started responding curiously, albeit a little more stuttered than her previous confident antiques.

"It's a bit complex system, so I'll use an analogy. Just like how a deliveryman will charge an extra fee for their services, the two worlds have to constantly lose some 'fee' so that the equilibrium can be maintained."

"…what… do you mean… by fee…?"

"The Laws of the World."

"…!" That reaction… most people would respond with a confused question mark, but she really is a genius, she started to understand where this is going.

"…The laws of the world is a system in which a world works its gears; you could say that they are what you might call common sense. But that system will start to lose some of its functionality to maintain the equilibrium when it was established. Eventually the system that loses its functions will be automatically scrapped by the world."

"…"

"And just like that, an empty space will start to appear within the law of the world. But every worlds has a set amount of laws and systems with every single one of it has equal amount. A world cannot operate even though it's just a single part of its system that was missing. And it cannot take the systems on the parallel world where the pipeline is connected, since it also used its system to maintain the equilibrium."

"…"

"So, the two worlds where the equilibrium existed started 'taking' the necessary systems from the other worlds."

"…!"

"In a world, 1+1=2, that's logic and common sense. But to maintain the equilibrium, the systems of logic and common sense will decrease. The change could result in the world having a system with 1+1=1.9999999999 or 1.9999999998 … it's a small number of course, but you and I both know it has a dire impact on the world. To maintain 1+1=2, then the world will take 0.0000000001 or 0.0000000002 from another world unrelated to the equilibrium. And the world who had its system taken will take the system it needs from another world and that same world will do the same to another world and so on and so on and so on…"

"…"

"As you can see, there are millions of worlds and universes out there. But it is not infinite. A certain number that indicates the amount of worlds and universes does exist even though I don't what the number is… And not to mention the decrease of the system happens every single second the equilibrium exists. A limited number of worlds and an unlimited number of system loss. If this keeps up, then the law that governs those countless worlds will be reduced to nothing…"

"…So… in this case… one world… is better than many…isn't it…?"

I nodded to the question she asked while trembling. "That's right. If one of the two worlds connected through a pipeline is destroyed. Then the continuous transfer between the two will stop and the equilibrium will be destroyed. All I need to do next is to fix up the instability on another worlds with my powers. After that, it's another job well done."

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

". . . . . . . . .Then why don't you just hurry up and do it, then. . . . . . . . ?"

"Do what?"

"…Destroy this world…why don't you just destroy this world the moment you discovered this abnormality…? Why do you even bother on coming here…? You know that time is of the essence, so why did you waste your time coming here and explained all that crap about this Law Domino and universal destruction to me…?"

Heh, she's good... she's way, way too good for her own good... Even though she was shaken so badly by that revelation, she still paid attention to the details.

"The reason is simple, that's because I also don't want to cause such a large scale destruction."

"..." is it just me, or was she breathing a sigh of relief over there?

"That's why I wasted my time coming here, because I prefer on doing the first option, to find and destroy what attached Shirogane Takeru into this world and caused the equilibrium. Right now, I used my power to fulfill the empty system that was 'paid' to maintain the pipeline and the equilibrium, so the Law Domino Effect is temporarily stopped. However, if the situation is not resolved quickly,** I might have to resort to the second option that leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth.**"

"..."

"But enough about that, let's focus on our current problem, you have something that I need."

"...!"

Hm... for a second there, I thought I see her eyes glittered... she must have been thinking she might use something that I need as a leverage or a counter-bargain. Sorry professor, it's not something that important. But it is important to me.

"...And what is that...?"

"Information."

"...About what...? You clearly knows about the worlds much better than I am."

"No, not_ that_ kind of information. What I need is the information of the people in this world. Politics, cultures, history, geography, science, all that mundane stuff."

As I expected, she showed a disappointed face as if she was expecting it was something a bit more grandeur...

"...Who am I, a teacher? Just so you know, I'm-... oh, right... Shirogane told me I was one in another world... Tch, anyway, why do you need to know all of that...? Don't you already possess some powerful abilities that could even dominate the world...?"

"Heh, dominate the world...? That's just a waste of time." Hmm... she started looking at me in surprise and amazement... why is that? Was what I just said really that surprising? Ah, whatever.

"But enough about that, what matter now is the information. You see, I have learnt with a hard way-a very, _very_ hard way-that a single casual mistake because I don't understand this-and-that about the current world can cause someone or something to try to kill me or eat me alive. But considering how messed up this world is, those kinds of horrible things will happen eventually and I'm fine with it. But I'm still not taking any chances."

"...You could find out about those things by yourself..."

"Maybe, but I'm offering you a chance here... that deal from before still stands."

"...You mean that 'an answer for an answer' deal?"

"As you can see, I really like to find new ways to avoid getting shot at." I grinned.

"...True enough... alright, I'll accept that deal from before... but instead of an answer what I want is a favor."

"Hmm... A favor? Just so you know, I won't work as your subordinate."

"Hmph, that's fine, you could refuse the favor if you want, I won't ask you for anything that would go against your will and your job or something beyond your ability... heh, to be honest, I don't even know what you can or what you can't do."

"...Strange, I'm under the impression that all scientists like you would take that deal... You could even ask the secrets of the universes, you know."

"I might have taken that chance years ago... but right now, I already know enough that there are things that should remain unknown."

. . . . . . . . . . .Huh. . . . . ? . . . . Oi, oi, you're taking over now? Seriously. . . . . . . . . . ?

. . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . .

"...Takamine, why are you falling silent all of a sudden?"

_"Good, you have wisdom. That is good indeed. One who possess such wisdom are rare within worlds."_

"...!"

Ah, he did it. He really did it. He actually switched our position. Man, this is annoying. I'm starting to understand why people hates being possessed. To be able to see with my eyes and feel with my body but not having a single inch of control of it... This is really creepy. Understandably, Kouzuki-san was surprised because my tone of voice suddenly changed heavier and older. The posture of my body also changed, giving more of an aura of a person with powerful authority.

_"Fufu... it is such a waste... we could use someone of your caliber on our ranks... it is such a waste that you do not have the ability to join us..."_

"...Takamine Yuuto... what are you-...?"

_"Regardless, this is your fight... such a waste... but it is your path. Therefore, we will give you thirty minutes."_

"...Thirty... minutes...?"

_"Yes, thirty minutes. It's a little unfair to get a single favor for a single answer, don't you think? That's why instead of a set amount of question we'll change the condition into a duration for the answers and questions session."_

"...So it's similar to how psychologist gets paid by the hour, but instead of money, I'll get a favor instead."

_"Correct. Keep in mind, though, that some of the questions we asked may involved some sensitive information regarding the military. Is that okay with you?"_

"...It's alright... having the favor of someone that has powers that can affect the whole world is a worthy price. Speaking of which, can I really count on your words alone?"

_"Yes, you can... you have our words. There are times when we lies to defeat our enemies. But we always honor every single deals and promises we made."_

"...Fine... tell me one thing, though... are you... really... Takamine Yuuto...?"

Wow, she could guessed that this 'me' was a different person. "At first, you refer to yourself as an 'I' and then suddenly you changed it into 'we'... so... who are you...?" That's the signal. Alright, switch back with me, partner.

. . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . .

"...Hey, answer me! Are you Takamine Yuuto?-!"

"I am now."

"...!"

Aaah, I'm finally back... I don't know about anyone else, but I hates it when that sword started using my body as a meatsuit. Yuuko-san seems to realize about the change as well. She never misses anything, doesn't she?

"Right, now's the time to get to business. Yuuko-san, you don't mind if I start the 30 minutes session now, right?"

"...As long as you keep your words..." she quickly regained her composure and answered.

"Okay, let's start with this world. What the hell happened here?"

* * *

**(Kouzuki Yuuko)**

That was surprising...

No, after what happened in that Interrogation Room, to describe my situation as 'surprising' would be a monumental understatement.

And yet... it was also suitable as well.

All my life, I have never been as surprised as today. Not even when Shirogane came here. I have to admit I _did _felt some measure of surprise back then, but it was not on a level that I couldn't handle.

This meeting with Takamine Yuuto was on a whole new level.

He's clearly different than Shirogane... far more different.

Unlike Shirogane, Takamine clearly knows what his goals are and how to achieve it. He's capable enough to accomplish his objectives all by himself, he is willing to dirty his hands with blood and he has the power to directly manipulate worlds... or so he claimed.

To be honest, I don't want to just simply accept his god-like abilities. And besides, there are no proofs or evidence that anything he said were true. But...

_...destroying this world should suffice to fix the problem with minimum consequences._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . ._

I saw his expression when he said that.

It was not the expression of someone that was cornered and loses all options.

It was not the expression of someone making a hard choice to minimize the damage.

It was not the expression of someone who felt despair about this world and wanted to end its suffering.

It was none of that.

In fact I've seen no distinguishing expression on his face when he said that.

His expression was plain flat, as if he were saying:_ It's my job so I had to do it._

He spoke of it as if it was what he does for a living.

He spoke of it as if it was an annoying habit he has.

He spoke of it as if it was another paperwork he needed to fill out.

And that terrified me.

I've seen many horrible things in my life, I thought I would never feel this way again even if I had to face a BETA and stare into my death.

But that… that casualness of him on the notion of destroying a world… I honestly found it more terrifying than the enemies I've been fighting this entire time.

More than BETA.

More than Alternative V.

And also this job of him…

Destroy what attached Shirogane Takeru in this world or destroy this entire world itself?

…That's practically the same thing…

I already have a guess on what's tying down Shirogane here… And it's the best weapon humanity have to offer. Without it, we have no chance of getting back on the BETAs and we're pretty much down to Alternative V.

If everything Takamine Yuuto said was true, then there are just two options left for this world.

A slow death or a quick death.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

…Ridiculous...

Forget ridiculous, this is downright crazy…

Damn it, Kouzuki Yuuko! Why are you letting that Takamine Yuuto boy went inside your head? Why the hell did you even accepted his deal in the first place?Think logically, like you always do! There are no proofs that he had those kinds of world-controlling powers and his Law Domino theory is just a hypothesis. Who knows? It might be just some random blabbering he had!

As for those powers, maybe Takamine Yuuto was a byproduct of Alternative III that I didn't know of. Maybe some organization somewhere has found a way to integrate the Alternative III program into that boy.

…Haaa… since when did I start dealing with 'maybe's? I don't have time to think about this. I'll have to work on the XG-70 targeting program, plus maybe I have to put the 00-unit somewhere safer-…

Knock! Knock!

Hm? "Professor, it's me. Can we talk for a minute?"

General Radhabinod? "Of course, come in." As soon as he opened the door the general started putting up a frown.

"Professor, I know this is out of the blue, but can you please clean up this mess? Not even the cadet's bathroom is as messy as this office."

"Please spare me the small talk, Commander. I have no time for such luxury."

"…I was being half-serious, though… but alright. I just wanted to talk to you about our security breach 12 hours ago.

…This is not a topic I'd like to discuss right now, but seems like I have to put up the 'official' face for now.

"We've swooped clean the entire perimeter and it's clean. It means the intruder doesn't have any accomplices and if he had an accomplice then whoever it is would have be far away by now."

"I see… but I assume you're not here just to tell me that."

"True enough." The general nodded. "I'm here because of the intruder, he claims his name was Takamine Yuuto, am I right?"

"'He _claims _his name'…? Does that means, you don't believe that's his real name?"

"…Do you…?" The general glanced at me. "In fact, it would be more suspicious if he did give his real name. Whoever it is that employed him, must have supplied him with a great amount of assets. I don't see how anyone could have infiltrated this base alone without any information or equipment."

"…"

"And yet, after hours of searching we could not find a single equipment, forget about any hacking tools, laser removal device or some fancy high-tech infiltration technology, we couldn't even found a single weapon; no guns, no rifles, no nothing… aside from that sword, that is, and I have reports that mentioned how Takamine Yuuto didn't even draw it when he was fighting against 20 armed soldiers with rifles and machineguns in an open space without cover."

"Are you talking about the patrols he knocked out…?"

"Yes, several men from Able, Alpha, and Warlock Company. I heard eight of the Valkyries were also wounded?"

"I wouldn't call it that, they just suffered a minor concussion. Give them a few days and they'll be back on their feets."

"…I wouldn't call what happen to Shirogane Takeru as just a minor concussion."

"Ah, him. Don't worry, he's been through worst."

"Really? From what I heard, he's the one that suffered the most injuries… everyone else were only knocked out unconscious. Regardless, this Takamine Yuuto is highly skilled… skilled enough to infiltrate the inner part of Yokohama Base where the security was the safest. And if he did that without any weapons or tools, then…"

"…You're suspecting an inside man…?"

"Precisely." I see, that explains why Radhabinod seems glum, "Which is why I came down here, personally. I heard you interrogated Takamine Yuuto yourself?"

…! Hold on, how did he know that…? I made sure to erase all the records and under my order, the other interrogators temporarily 'went outside the room to get some air'… don't tell me… he's suspecting me…?

Luckily I have a very huge experience in hiding my true expression and replacing it with a calm demeanor. If not, then Radhabinod might be seeing me sweating hard. He wouldn't understand all this dimensional worlds business.

"Hmm… yes I did. Why do you ask?"

"And why do you need to cover up your conversation with the intruder so thoroughly? You know professor, I was curious to what the two of you might've talked about…"

"…"

"And then, after seeing this video footage by myself, all doubts has been cleared from my mind."

"…!"

Video footage? From where…? No… that's a stupid question. This is Radhabinod after all, he might have planted a hidden camera in the interrogation room before Takamine was sent there, he really did suspect me as the mole! And after what happened in that footage… damn it! I was too distracted since we were talking too long… I even told Takamine several classified information. I was careless… at this rate, I'll be apprehended and Alternative IV will be suspended! Tch! I have to stay calm and think of a countermeasure!

"At first, I suspected you were the mole. But after seeing this, I realized I was wrong…"

. . . . . . . . Wait. . . . . what . . . . . . . ?

"Haaaa, to be honest, I don't like this job since it requires me to be overly suspicious. But regardless, I apologize for doubting you, professor. Several secret investigators also followed up on my doubt, but you should know that you've been freed from all suspicions."

"Wait a minute, Commander, what are you talking about?" I carefully asked.

"Hm…? This footage, of course." Radhabinod pulled a flash drive from his pocket. "What's wrong, professor? Is there something wrong?"

"Can I borrow it for a second?"

"…? Well, I can see no harm in it."

I hurriedly take the flash drive from the general's arm, earning him another confused expression. He should know that I'm more confused about the situation. I know I should have been glad but… what does the general mean by I'm freed from all suspicion?

I inserted the flash drive on my computer and quickly played the recording, with the Radhabinod also watching the footage.

...And what I saw there made me realize what an idiot I am.

"Commander!" The rise in my voice suddenly surprised the general. "Did you see that?-! Is there a possibility that this footage might have been tampered?-! Was there any other proof that what was shown on this footage was true?-!"

"P-professor, calm down. You sounded as if this footage was a fabrication... you're acting rather strange... why did you asked that a footage that has cleared you from all doubts was a fabrication?"

"Please answer me, commander." I rarely used this deeply serious tone to anyone, this might have surprised Radhabinod even more... but I have to know if it was false... no... I need someone to tell me it was false!

"...You don't have to worry, Professor, the footage are all real. I verified it myself." Radhabinod might have said that to calm me down, but instead he confirmed my biggest fear. "Besides, not just the hidden footage... several U.N. investigators that I contacted was also secretly watching your conversation with the intruder, and their testimony alone confirmed the authentication of the footage. Again, I apologize for mobilizing a secret squad to watch your movement... but after what happened at the base... well, you of all people would understand the concerns."

...Damn it... so it really is true...

It was there...

It was all there...

The proof of his power.

...Why did I even agree to his unreasonable deal, in the first place...?

...Why did I suddenly take the words of a stranger for granted...?

...It's because I was afraid of him...

...It's because I already know that everything he said was real...

...I know it... and yet I refuse to accept it...

...But the proof is there... And there's no way my logical mind could ever refuse this...

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"What's wrong professor? You looked as if you've just seen a ghost." Radhabinod asked worriedly.

"N-no, nothing, I'm just a little tired from the XG-70 preparations..."

"I see..." Radhabinod didn't seem to buy it, but I couldn't care less. "Then perhaps, you should take some rest. Our success on Sadogashima depends on your machine. In any case, good work with the intruder, professor."

"...Yeah..."

When the general left my room, I fell down on the floor with my shoulders slumped.

Why did the commander removed all suspicions when all the facts on the footage should have added the suspicions to me?

Why did the commander thanked me when all the facts on the footage showed that I made a deal to someone outside the military?

Why did the commander congratulated me when all the facts on the footage showed that I utterly failed in breaking down the intruder?

...Because it was false...

Everything that happened at the footage was wrong...

The scene when I lashed out at Takamine Yuuto changed into Takamine sobbing and telling me his wild childhood, the scene when he was explaining the cause of causality conductor changed into a scene when Takamine screamed wildly about the brutal experiments he's been through, the scene when he offered me a deal changed into me offered him a deal about lower punishment and immunity in exchange for his cooperation to apprehend the collaborators, which I know doesn't exist.

Of course, I thought of it as a fabrication too, but... at the last scene...

...The previously sobbing Takamine Yuuto suddenly smiled and winked at the direction of the camera...

There's no way General Radhabinod would have missed this... the chances are even less that his special investigators with infamous keen eyes would ever missed this!

...I know...

That mischievously smiling face was directed at me.

I was the only one that was allowed to see it.

"..."

If his powers were real...

Then everything he said... the threats that he made... was also true...

"Damn it."

If that's the case... then...

_...find and destroy what attached Shirogane Takeru into this world and caused the equilibrium..._

_...destroy one of the world attached to the pipeline..._

_...if the situation is not resolved quickly, I might have to resort to the second option that leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth..._

_. . . . . . . . ._

_. . . . . . . . ._

_. . . . . . . . ._

The 00-Unit... or the world...

A slow death or a quick death...

"Damn it!"

...First, the BETA...

...Then, the Alternative IV...

...And now...

"GODDAMNIT!"

Another monster seeking to claim the life of this world has arrived.

* * *

**(Shirogane Takeru)**

"That was what happened yesterday." he said as he put another slice of apple into his mouth.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . okay, what did he just told me. . . . . . . . . ?

He angered Yuuko-sensei, threatened her and indirectly forced her to make some kind of a deal...?

"Oh, I know that face... you didn't believe me, did you?"

Who would trust a suspicious guy like you in the first place!

Besides, is it really true...? Is he really going to destroy this world if he doesn't find what binds me here and destroy it...?-!

"Hmm... I wish this place have free-to-use oven or microwave. Then I can have bake apple pie or a shiskebab like in the old days. I only ate the synthetic food here twice and I'm already sick of it."

"Wait a minute, where did you even get a synthetic food here?-!"

"Isn't it obvious? It's the cafete-no, I mean the PX. It's quite good, even though it kinda taste bland."

"That's not what I meant! Are you even allowed to freely walk outside?-! You do realize that you've just broke into this base yesterday, right?"

"Oh, that. No worries. If you know the tricks, you could freely walk through a heavily-guarded fortress like it's a walk in the park. So don't sweat the small stuff."

Despite having caused such a mayhem, Takamine spoke about it like it was nothing. It made my skin crawl.

"At any rate." he wiped his mouth with a tissue and started staring at me seriously. "You might have known by now that your existence is causing a lot of trouble for the universe but most of all, you caused a lot of pain in the ass for me. So what are you going to do about it?"

"...!" I wanted to yell back, but I can't. Partly because he was right. The other part was because I hated myself for being such a universal nuisance.

"I ask you again, what are you going to do about it?"

"...For now, what I wanted to do is to get the BETA out of this-"

(SLAM!) "-...!"

Takamine Yuuto suddenly squashed the bedtable right beside my bed.

He did that with by stepping his right foot into the table and effortlessly pressed it into the ground.

**"I'm not asking you about BETA or anything like that."**

His face was no longer humorous or relaxed. It changed into an expressionless one. Just a stare of his eyes suddenly caused my to silently tremble.

**"I'm asking you, what are you going to do about this universe? What are you going to do about the universes that were messed up because you become the causality conductor?"**

I was unable to retort back.

Not because I can't, but because I don't want to.

**"...If you don't have the answer yet, then that's fine."**

...Now I understand... I understand how this guy could outwit Yuuko-sensei.

**"But if you're not going to do anything about it, then it's a different story."**

...This guy was too powerful and oppressive... he was just like the BETA in a way... unknown... incomprehensible... yet incredibly powerful.

**"So, which one are you going to do? Shirogane Takeru?"**

...Against such a person... against such an existence... all I could do was tremble in fear.

That was what the old me, would have done.

"How the hell should I know, IDIIIIOOOOOTTT!"

I literally shouted my lungs off.

"...Wha..?"

...Somehow seeing that surprised expression on Takamine's face seems to ease that sense of fear I had. With that, the heavy atmosphere was blown away from my chest. Alright then Shirogane, time to show off your resolve!

"Well, I don't know! The scale of a universe was far too big. And I don't know how to fix a single world, let alone a freaking universe! I don't know who or what got me stuck in loops within this world! And yet after all those infinite loops, all I have is more questions instead of answers! I don't have the answer, I might never be able to find it! But know this..."

I put the all the resolve I have into my eyes and glared into Takamine.

"I will fight."

"..."

"I will fight to save this world! I'll fight until the last BETA on this planet is wiped clean! Right now, fighting is all I can do!"

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"...Heh... you got guts... I'll give you that."

Huh? Somehow, his face softened and he chuckled as if he'd just seen something amusing. But he quickly turned back into his all-business attitude.

"But know this Shirogane, I have my own goals here and I won't hesitate to destroy this world if I have to accomplish it."

"If you ever decide to do something like that, I'll stop you." I immediately answered.

He fell silent hearing that.

And...

"Ha ha ha."

I heard a laughter.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT IS HILARIOUS! THAT REALLY IS HILARIOUS! AHAHAHAHAHAHA...! Heh... hehe... Is this how he feels when I challenged him like that...? Damn it! Now, I know how it feels like to be that stupid... Man, that was embarrassing."

"...Ha...?"

W-what the hell is he talking about? First he laughed like crazy, and then he said some weird and confusing things... What a hard guy too understand.

"Heh, anyway, you could try it if you want. But when you do, make sure you use that machine in the hangar."

That machine... in the hangar...? C-could it be he's referring to the TSFs?-!

"I heard from Yuuko-san you were a marvel in that thing. If you ever decide to stop me, then make sure you use you won't hold back."

W-wait a minute, something's weird here! 'That machine'? If he said it that way, that makes it like he never even use a TSF before... or... wait... he's...

"Y-you're not... you're not suggesting you're taking me on... on foot, didn't you?"

"Heh..." Contrary to my expectation, he merely smiled and started walking out of the room... but he stopped right before the door.

"Make sure you won't hold back... **Because I sure won't**."

With that ominous sounding words, Takamine left the room.

* * *

**(...Unknown...)**

"You know, that was uncalled for..."

_"I'm sorry, but meeting someone that possess the same attribute as I do always excites me."_

"Oh? You don't think I have that attribute...?"

_"Not yet, but you have the potential to."_

"Really...? Hmm, then I better keep up to your expectations."

_"...Enough small chat, did you do it?_

"...Yeah, I don't like it. But yeah... Kouzuki Yuuko and Shirogane Takeru is now wary of me... They considered me as a potential enemy. Heh, Yuuko-san might have considered me as an enemy already."

_"...Shirogane Takeru kinda reminds me of-..."_

"I know, I know... we are that kind of person I guess."

_"Hmph... just so you know, the one that ties Shirogane Takeru is in this base."_

"Yeah, I noticed... by the way, where did they take you?"

_"Some laboratory, I think... anyway, if you want to take care of the rope, you better act now."_

". . . . . . . . . . "

_"...You're not planning to, aren't you?"_

"Well, you know me best after all... and with the wards we put to 'fill in' the empty systems, the universe can still have be safe for at least three more centuries... but that's not what I'm concerned with right now."

_"I know, that presence from before... It's beneath this base."_

"...I heard about it from Yuuko when I used a 'fear suggestion' on her, this place seems to be the former base of this BETA creature that humanity of this world was an enemy of."

_"That doesn't surprise me, in every world there is always a war... what does surprise me, however, is the origin of this BETAs."_

"Apparently, they just popped up suddenly somewhere on the moon... sounds fishy to you?"

_"Of course it is, in fact, this 'base' of them... it's-..."_

"-Still alive, I noticed. And still watching, still listening... although I doubt it knows what we were saying. Is that why you told me to keep this attitude to Shirogane and Yuuko-san? ...I don't like fooling around with someone who fought with everything they have."

_"...It never hurts to be cautious, even though it doesn't know what we were saying, there's always a chance that **someone behind them** might be able to. With that in mind, it's better to make **it** think that we were not on anyone's side or we have our own objective. Threatening and lying to Shirogane Takeru and Kouzuki Yuuko will be enough to convince** it** of that."_

"Really...? Do you really think there's someone behind this... BETA creature? I've never seen them, but from what I heard, every effort to find out their nature always ends in failure."

_"That's what you need to learn, Yuuto. There is always something behind somebody. That is a universal truth. Even more so when the case was a suspicious creature called BETA."_

"Right, right. You're Wisdom after all, so you're always right."

_"...Now you're mocking me..."_

"Ah! Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I apologize! Don't take over my body again and make me do something embarrassing!"

_"Hmph, as long as you understand... what are you planning to do?"_

"...Do you really think we can take a peek on this 'base' of them?"

_"The one that dwells deep inside this base... I never felt anything like this before... Is this mana...? Or is it... no, speculating now would only add more worries."_

"Agreed, whatever it is, I guess we'll find out when we get there."

_"...Be prepared for anything. It might be dormant to humans, but we have no idea what kind of trouble we'll have once we entered."_

"I know, don't worry. I'm an Eternal. Troubles comes with the job."

* * *

**Phew... That. Was. Exhausting.**

**And what's next...? Oh, yeah. Thank you guys for the reviews, even though it just started, somehow seeing it appeared on the first day brought tears to my eyes, hiks... sniff... thank you... sorry it's a n0obs tears... Okay! to answer some of your worries.**

**kinunatzs:**

**= At first I though I should make Yuuto that way too, but later I decided against it. After all, what differs the most between the Yuuto in this fic and the one in Eien no Aselia is that he had much more experience in life and combat, which I thought would change his personality to be a bit bolder, playful with a bits of dark-side as well. At least, that's how I imagined him anyway.**

**= Besides... quiet, dense, and serious... isn't that kind of similar to Shirogane? Making a story with two protagonists with the same personality is not fun. Maybe that's the real reason why I turned him that way... well, who knows?**

**PaulXion:**

**= It's before Sadogashima, and Marimo's already dead... I know! I like her too! But I'll find some way to bring her back into the game. Promise!**

**PS: One of the saddest scene I've ever seen... that, and the first Titanic I've seen... sadly, the next one didn't have that much of an effect on me.**

**deatlol:**

**= Thanks! And by Hirume did you mean the one that wrote Spirits of Another World?**

**ZeroRequiem GX:**

**= ...Ha? Eien has an anime adaptation...? Seriously? Where?-!**

**= Yes, I know Resident Evil totally ruined the scene... but I just can't resist the temptation... :D**

**= Speaking of Total Eclipse, do you know the ending? If you do, PM and spoil me! I beg you! I just can't wait another week!**

**= Hell of torment? Are you talking about my school and the numerous homeworks and tests that comes as a benefit?**

**Trust me, writing this... is my refuge.**

**PS: Now that I read it again... why does it makes me sounds like a total recluse...?**


	3. Falsified Witness

**The Vision Blinds the Eye. The Illusion Clouds the Mind**. **_Falsified Witness._**

* * *

**(Shirogane Takeru)**

When I came to it, I realized I was already in trouble.

What am I supposed to do with this mess? This is one of the medical wards in Yokohama and I was lucky enough to get a room all by myself with a comfortable sofa and table. But what am I supposed to do with the broken table right next to my bed? The nurses or doctors will yell my ears off, I just know it. I'd clean it up if I could, but the one that broke the table, also broke several parts of my body.

Speaking of which.

I don't trust him… after what happened; only idiots will. But if what he said was true… then we're all in a bigger danger than I thought.

…I need to talk to Yuuko-sensei fast. Knowing her, she might already keep a careful tab on Takamine.

…But then again, didn't he just walk outside of the detention room and casually eating apples in this room? And didn't he also said that he'd eaten some synthetic food from the PX?

I hope he didn't do anything to Kyozuka obaa-san or anyone in that regards.

Ugh, damn it… I still have headaches. At first, I thought it was simple concussion, but I'm starting to have a feeling that it's much worst that I thought. And instead of a doctor the first person I've seen in the morning was that bastard of a guy and... Huh…? Ara…? That's not right…

Why haven't I've seen a doctor or a nurse here? I don't have much knowledge on military medical procedures, but I'm pretty sure, once a patient wakes up a doctor or a nurse have to debrief the patient about his treatment or injuries as fast as they can… that's what I heard anyhow. Did something happen to the doctors?

Knock, knock. Hm? Who's that? Huh? A bearded man who seemed to be in his late-30s with white doctor coat entered the room. "Excuse me, 2nd Lieutenant Shirogane? My name is doctor Kurokawa, your attending physician. I've come to give you a last-minute health checkup."

"A-ah, yes, please…" Speak of the devil.

"First of all, let me just apologize for the late arrival. I was supposed to come here as soon as possible the moment you woke up and the IV showed that you've already woken up hours ago, I'm sorry for the delay." The doctor said as he politely bowed down. Wow, this guy might have some connection with Meiya, what with the overly polite tone and stuff.

"N-no problem." I was right, it's just a mix-up after all but… my gut says something still doesn't seem right. "Kurokawa-sensei, can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"W-well, I'm sorry for probing but… why didn't you give the checkup earlier. Ah! You don't have to say anything if it was some emergency."

"Ah, it is nothing like that." He suddenly turned his head shyly, "It's more of a lack of professionalism on my part. You see, when I came by earlier, I just had the… urge… if you might call it that, to stay away from this room. I know it's unreasonable and it was a true blunder on my part. For that I'm thoroughly apologize."

"T-that's fine! Really! You don't have to bow down like that!" Man… seeing someone suddenly bowing down like that is really embarrassing. Well, this Kurokawa-sensei is a good person, he's very honest and dedicated, I'll give him that. Most people would have just made up some lie on the spot instead of telling the truth. And besides…

"…"

…A sudden urge…? Why do I get the feeling that Takamine was involved with this? He's like a magician that can turn people into frog and… Crap, why do I get the feeling that he could actually do something like that?

"Anyway, 2nd Lieutenant Shirogane, can we begin the checkup?" I was snapped back into reality by the doctor's voice. "I will take some blood sample to make sure there are no contagious diseases. Ah, please don't worry Shirogane-kun, I'm sure you don't have anything like that. This is merely the procedure. And also, I will need you to take the MRI and eye test to make sure that the concussion has subsides."

Seems like this is going to be a long recovery… damn it, I just hope that my body will make it before the Invasion of Sadogashima… Tch, and I also have to stabilize Sumika's condition. At this rate she's not going to get any better… add to that, the problem with Alternative V and with the other 'outsider' that came to this world… no… worrying about it will solve nothing. For now I just have to focus on getting better.

"Understood, sensei."

"Oh, and..." he glanced into a trail of destruction a certain person had left. "If I may ask... what happened here...? Shirogane-kun, did you..."

"No! No, I didn't do it! I didn't step into that table and blow it into pieces! It's all that alien's fault!"

N-now that I think about it, the doctor might have already mindful about it ever since he came, but he kept it until he completed his main purpose of coming here out of politeness and his strong sense of responsibility. What a dutiful and admirable person!

"W-well, I might not know what happened, but Shirogane-kun, please keep in mind that you are already a commissioned officer of the U.N. Army, you carry the name of the U.N. forces on your hands and your actions are going to be viewed as the actions of the entire army. I will keep this to myself and sent someone to clean this mess."

_But please try not to do this again next time_, was what he silently continued with his eyes.

Ugh... being seen by a mixed gaze of concern and pity because of such misunderstanding by such a good person makes me feel a little bit guilty... Damn it! Sensei! I'm not the one that did this! It's the alien intruder from before that now roams free within the base without bothering to clean up his own mess! There's no way I could even say such a crazy thing, so please realize it already from this painful eyes of mine!

"?-? What's wrong, Shirogane-kun?"

"...Nothing."

What the hell is that troublemaker doing right now, anyway?-!

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

This is a lot of security for just one prisoner.

15 MPs with some... exosuit-like armor in their bodies. Some of them armed with tactical assault rifles and live grenades, some of them with HMGs and missile launchers, 24 hours video camera and from what I can sense, an increased patrols of that gundam machine... TSFs was it? And they are right outside the building where my cell is. What, did they think I would try to blow up the walls and escape or something?

Not that it matters, though.

Getting in and out of this detention cell is actually very simple. In fact, it was very simple, I could go grab some food from the PX, eat some (synthetic) Yakisoba soup and come back to the cell without the guards or the cafeteria lady ever noticed I got out.

Oh, no, it's no analogy; I've already done that 15 minutes ago. I even took some time sparring with some of the cadets that were having a bet with their meal tickets on the line... how else am I supposed to take the food? I might make a very good infiltrator but I'm no thief. Basically, this detention cell is pretty much my own sweet room for the moment. As long as you can ignore the not-so-sweet smell.

But that's not the main problem, right now.

Something beneath this base... from what I could gather it's what the people here called 'The BETA Reactor'. Supposedly this was one of the Hives that these BETA invaders built years before. And with the weapon they used to take it... some type of a super nuclear bomb I suppose... They used it to retake this Hive, but I don't think the cost was worth it. Even from here, I could sense that the mana in this place has been decreased to a very critical level. In fact, Wisdom was having trouble just to breath in this place.

It can't be helped. For an Eternity Sword like him, the mana in this place might be something akin to a low-atmosphere area. It's not a problem for now, but in the long run, maybe 120 years in the future, we might need to get a new source of mana off-world somewhere. (...) Hm? ah, he's contacting me.

_Hey Yuuto, finished with the preparations?_

Yeah, we're pretty much loaded for monsters. I also have prepared something special in case our friends from this base decide to interfere. I don't really like doing this, but this time around drastic measures are necessary.

_Good, but you need to pick me up first to access the Reactor. Can you sense where I am right now?_

Yeah, 30 meters beneath this floor. The lower levels of the base. Security's gonna be tight. Simple illusions won't be enough. I'll have to improvise in case anything goes wrong.

_Then it's a 100% possibility that you'll improvise. I suggest you start planning on what kind of improvisation you need to prepare._

For the last time, Wisdom, I can handle it.

_Very well, I'll leave it up to you, Master. Oh, another thing, I found out when the next gateway of this world could be opened._

Hm? Where and when is that?

_A continent in the middle of the world, from the minds I scanned from the scientist that's been poking me for a while, I say it was somewhere in the middle of Kashgar, China. It's going to open in the next 213 years, 8 months, and 17 days._

213 years? That's not good. Well, I guess we just have to save up the mana as much as we can.

_Yes… and… there's also another problem regarding the gateway._

Another problem? Great. What is it then?

_The biggest BETA Hive was also located there._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Say again. . . . . . . .?

_As I said, the biggest BETA Hive was located in Kashgar. It's the first one they made since they invaded the Earth._

And they just happened to pick a spot where our ride off-world was parking? If you say it's a coincidence, I'll ditch you right now.

_No, it's absolutely not a coincidence. I don't know what their motives or how much they know about **our world **but considering their hostilities on humans, we will have to fight them sooner or later… and with their relentless forces that managed to drove this world into such depravity, a fight with them is not going to be easy._

...So, eventually, we have to deal with the BETA in their home turf where, supposedly, millions of them lived. Damn it, our mana supply's not gonna be enough for that kind of assault. Especially since we used most of our powers to fix the Law Domino effects. We're going to need to find some fresh mana source as fast as we can.

_While I agree about that course of action. Could you please change that name?_

Hm? What name?

_That... Law Domino effect... it's not very... how do I say this..._

What? It's great isn't it? Law Domino. You know, conflicting consequences... one fall causes another to fall... add in the word 'law' in front and you have the phenomenon that causes the falls of law the universe with some smart-sounding and philosophical aspect. Sounds great, right? Makes me feel a lot smarter than I actually am.

_...Eeh…_

Right?

_...Whatever you say, Master. I am the one that told you all about it and it's up to you on how to use that knowledge. But... I just wish you would put some more thought in that naming sense instead of copying it from a manga you happened to saw..._

BGYAH!

_..So, I was right..._

W-where did you know about that!-? And stop calling me an idiot on the very back of your mind!

_Whatever, you say..._

Egh, my pride...

_Another thing, can you hurry up here and do something to these... investigators?_

...Fine, fine, I'll get on it. They're treating you alright up there?

_To put it mildly, I swear if I have another person put their hands on me, I will burn this place down to the ground._

Ha?

_I'm really itching to go all out somehow... I should at least retaliate a bit with some mild shockwaves._

H-hey, partner... Wisdom-san? ...you're starting to get a bit out of character.

_Maybe... having someone dips you into sodium hydroxide twice a day and puts you into a burner with an abnormally high temperature for several hours tend to have an effect to irritate someone. And I am... very irritated._

...Right... very scary. Forget I said anything.

_Hurry up, one more of this 'weapon investigations'... and I might end up killing someone._

Again, forget I said anything.

_I wonder how this lab would fare if an incendiary explosions of unknown nature suddenly occurs._

Does the word 'forget I said anything' mean anything to you?

_Or maybe some deep-molten gold thrown off deep within their mouths will suffice…? Hmm… tough choice indeed._

…Are you having some elaborate revenge fantasies? And here I thought you were-… Ah, whatever, forget I said anything.

_Right, maybe a thermal detonator would-(...)_

I disconnected our thoughts so that I wouldn't hear another one of his creepy banter. If Wisdom turns out that scary, then he's reaching his limit on... whatever it is they're doing to him.

Plus, the low-mana situation is adding to his stress. He's like a whale stranded into a beach of some sort. Considering the situation, that might be a surprisingly perfect analogy.

...At any rate, I have to find a place filled with mana here fast before Wisdom goes crazy. Fortunately, I have an idea on where I might find some.

The BETA Reactor... while I can't sense the tiniest bit of mana there, I could still sense that something was there... something similar to a mana... and I don't think I'm going to like what I'll find. But I think with the preparations I have, this should be enough to anticipate anything.

Seems like whether I like it or not, I have to do this sooner or later.

* * *

**(Isumi Michiru)**

"This is too boring, why did the Vice-Commander put us into guard duty? I mean… _us_! We're the Valkyrie special ops unit, we're supposed to get into some action, not stand around doing guard duty for some prisoner!" 2nd Lieutenant Suzumiya Akane complained with a sour and displeased look on her face clearly apparent on my monitor. In short, she was clearly upset about this guard duty.

"It can't be help, Suzumiya. This is a direct order from the Vice-Commander Kouzuki." Akane suddenly flinched hearing the Vice-Commander's name. Good, that's the reaction I was expecting.

"Orders are orders, Akane." Another face appeared on my monitor, it's her sister, Suzumiya Haruka. "I know you don't like this, but please remember what happened last night."

"Y-yes…" Hehe, somehow Akane relented face to her sister like that is cute too.

"Speaking of last night, Captain was it true?" Hayase's face suddenly popped up. "Was it true that Shirogane actually got beaten up by the intruder?" Ah, that…

"Well, to be honest, I haven't heard about his condition. But that seems to be the case."

Somehow, I could imagine the faces of Shirogane's other teammates tensed up at the mention of his name. They must be worried about him after what happened last night. We were lucky since all of them were merely knocked out by the intruder. Especially Mitsurugi, since she was the one that encountered the intruder in the first place.

I hate to admit it, but this intruder was a surprisingly nice person, knocking them out and leaving all of them alive. Others would have simply slit their throats and left them to die. I'm sure they realized this as well. But the strange thing was Shirogane. Unlike the others, where the intruder merely knocked them unconscious, Shirogane was beaten up so bad; he almost looked like a mummy with the bandages.

Mitsurugi, Sakaki, Tamase, Yoroi and Ayamine. I could imagine one of them to ask about Shirogane, but I never thought Hayase would be the one to blow the fuse, heh, I guess his old teammates weren't the only one that was worried about him.

"Araa? What happened here? " Munakata suddenly joined the fray. "Don't tell me, do you want to be his nurse, Hayase-chan? Maybe give him a 'service' while you're at it?" I sighed hearing this all-too-usual banter, Hayase's next respond would be- "Mu. Na. Ka. Ta!" Yes, as we all expected.

The next thing that happened, a verbal fight ensues between Munakata and Hayase, with Munakata teasing her and Hayase yelling at Munakata. I disconnected the transmission because hearing too much of it can give me a headache.

Normally, I'd quickly silenced them both with my military tone but some part of me realized what Akane had said was right.

Even though the intruder was a highly skilled infiltrator, I feel that bringing us into guard duty equipped with TSFs is too much of a waste. The resources to operate a TSF even for a few minutes are not little; at the very least I feel that the minimum usage for a TSF should be for a more productive activity like trainings or exercises or something along the lines of that. Guarding a single prisoner with TSFs while there are dozens other guards watching him 24 hours are not very efficient. What is the Vice-Commander thinking? Did she think that the intruder would try to fight his way out with against the TSFs?

The TSF are mankind's finest weapon against the BETA invaders. A group of skilled soldiers on foot had much difficulty just to kill a single small-strain BETA, but a single skilled soldier inside a TSF can stand up against a horde of them. This has become the common sense of this world. This fact that has been proven hundreds of times with the blood of the people that died every day, facing those monsters.

No matter how skilled he is, there is no way a normal human would be able to take on a single TSF on foot. There is no way a single man can destroy the common sense humanity had worked so hard to achieve.

Only fools or idiots would ever attempt such a thing.

* * *

**(Shirogane Takeru)**

Ugh… that was a horrible checkup… I'll take back what I said about that doctor being nice, he's completely merciless when it comes to his patients, I thought it was borderline obsessive. Geh… my body still feels awful… must be the effect of the medicine he gave me.

Kurokawa-sensei did say that it could make my muscle sore for a whole day… Urrgh… and I'm supposed to stuck here doing that for 2 more days?-!

At least, I could still be on time before the invasion starts. It's going to be quite pitiful if I'm left out in some hospital room twiddling my thumbs while the entire squad fights for their lives.

Ah, almost forgot about that.

What happened to the rest of the Valkyries? I haven't had any word on the girls ever since Takamine put me here. Egh... somehow, thinking about that guy made my heart feels like it's being squished up and my bones being turned upside down... literally. Where's the super fast-healing regenerative ability when you need it? That'll be awesome, if it ever exists.

…So… what am I supposed to do now…?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Great, now I'm left with absolutely nothing; no visitors, no books, no missions and practically nothing to do except rolling in this bed…

That's it. I don't care what's going to happen to my health. I'm getting out of here. Maybe I can find the squad somewhere in the PX.

And… (click) Huh…? Someone's at the door? It's…

"Hey, Shirogane."

"Y-Yuuko-sensei!"

* * *

"I see, so he told you about that."

"Yes, I didn't believe him at first, but I don't feel that he was lying at all."

As we spoke, Yuuko-sensei took a seat by the sofa while sipping some tea that was prepared by Lt. Piatif. She confirmed that what Takamine had told me earlier, which only added to my concerns. I've never seen Yuuko-sensei looked so tired before. With all that happened I imagined things have gone quickly out of hand.

She also told me that an ongoing investigation has been committed by the U.N. High Command to identify the inside man, although we both know they won't find anyone. Also, aside from me, Takamine also assaulted the girls from… no, if if I put it that way, that sounds horribly wrong for some reason... Takamine encountered the girls from my squad along with several other soldiers and effortlessly knocked them all out cold. Thankfully, none of them suffered any real injuries… except for me that is.

Also, the scheduled invasion on Sadogashima will be postponed indefinitely because of the possibility of intelligence leak. Apparently, officials in the Japanese Imperial Army and several officers in the American forces were detained and investigated following the 'confession' given by the intruder, Takamine Yuuto. After Yuuko-sensei did several diggings, those detained officials were Alternative V supporters. While this has bought us all some time to the activation of the project, the delayed invasion on Sadogashima Hive doesn't bode well for the Altenative IV project. Even though it sounds simple, I wonder how the officials were apprehended just because of one video recording?

"It's because he planted a trick on the recording." Yuuko-sensei quickly answered. "I think the tape contained some hint of mass-hypnosis. It makes whoever seeing the recording, started seeing something else instead."

Mass hypnosis? That guy can do something like that?-! "I know that was surprising, but that's not the worst part." Eh? It's not?

"Don't you think it's a bit strange? Why did General Radhabinod came to my office just to inform me of the lifted suspicion and offered an apology? He would have better off if he kept quiet about it."

It is an illogical move. Even if he was relieved that one of his men was cleared from suspicion, informing his men that they were once under suspicion would make his subordinates to be more cautious about their superior's actions. Doing that to Yuuko-sensei who is sensitive to secrets is just like adding more fuel to the fire. What was the General thinking? Unless…

"The mass hypnosis… is it?"

"You seem to be catching on quick." Yuuko-sensei nodded disappointingly, my body was starting to covered in cold sweat when she confirmed it. "I had Yashiro confirmed it earlier, it seems there are some specified commands and orders embedded within the film."

"Commands and orders?" Man, this is confusing. "You mean... he put up a scene within the recording where he used his... hypnosis power?"

"No, you idiot. It's a lot more complicated than that." Yuuko-sensei sternly scolded me before she began entering her lecture-mode. But I noticed something different. Unlike before when she was explaining calmly and (sometimes) passionately about her scientific theories, a sour and grim expression clouded her face. "More specifically, it's a like a list of instructions for specific individual embedded into the frames of the film."

Frames of the film? Isn't that the part where a movie was... well... it's the parts that made a movie, right? Like that small pictures on a book that looks like it was moving if you quickly flip it into the next page.

"That Takamine manipulated the analog waveforms within each films which provided the intensity of the light to carry out his hypnotical data, that way it could easily enter cornus membrane that process human vision data in his eyes and-"

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Don't just suddenly throw all those complicated scientific words into my ears! I don't get it!"

"I see, I guess it's a little bit too much for an amateur to understand. I'll try to simplify it, which part don't you understand?"

"ALL OF IT!"

Yuuko-sensei deliberately sighed in exasperation. Well, what do you expect? I was barely awake for the Japanese class! Sorry for being an idiot!

"To put it simply, Takamine Yuuto somehow managed to insert several frames filled with hypnotic suggestion into the video recording. Those frames were cleverly covered with the color pixels and it corresponded to each viewer's vision, the data that the viewers gained from the suggestion alongside with the view of the video recording was interpreted as 'absolute' orders that each viewer have to obey. Is that simple enough for you?"

"Yeah, that was enough… but… is that… really possible?"

"Unbelievable, I know. Seriously, just saying all that makes me feels like telling a fairy tale to a child. But I'll tell you something else, that's not all there is to this recording…"

It's not? There's still more?-!

"I said it before, right? The trick involved a list of instructions for specific individuals."

A list of instructions? Yes, she said that already. And specific individuals… that must've meant the people that were watching the recording. Through that, they all must have received the orders to apprehend the Alternative V supporters and-…

Wait a minute! That's not all! If that's the only order, then what about General Radhabinod?-! If what Yuuko-sensei said about him being manipulated was true, then was it strange if the only order was to '_arrest the Alternative V supporters_'?

"Seems like you've catch on again." As expected, Yuuko-sensei immediately understood my expression. "Yes, it is weird if the hypnosis contained only one order. So there must be more than one order contained within the video recording. I analyzed the recordings with that assumption."

"…Yuuko-sensei, if you watched that video then-…"

"Not to worry, I had Yashiro maintain some watch on my brainwave's activity using her ability. She filtered the suggestion sent into my mind from the recording, so I can at least say that I was safe from the hypnosis during my investigation. But I think that precaution was unnecessary."

"Huh? Why is that? The mass-hypnosis targeted everyone that watched the recording, right?"

"…That was my first assumption… but that was wrong."

"Eh?"

"I said it before Shirogane, it's a list of instructions for _specific individuals. _Not groups."

What?-! Specific individuals…? Not groups…? That means…

"Yes, the target of the recording is not groups. But individual."

"!"

"It does seem like it targets groups because it affected a lot of people at once. But the instructions sent to each person were different."

Different… instructions…?

"The concept is the same like that mental health test that requires the subject to identify several abstract pictures according to their description. As you can see, several people answered differently to those pictures due to their personality. Takamine used the same concept, but instead of personality, he classified the viewers based on their occupation. Resulting in different commands and orders for different people."

I was left speechless because of the unexpected gravity of the problem at hand, meanwhile Yuuko-sensei continued speaking with a grim expression clouding her face.

"For example, the investigators received the order to _'release Kouzuki Yuuko from all suspicion and take the supporters of Alternative V to custody as a possible suspect'_ and General Radhabinod as my superior, received the order to _'inform Kouzuki Yuuko of the news and pass over the recording to her'_. I won't be surprised if it also has the order _'this action was committed by members of the Alternative V project' _to the judges and the jury of the court who is going to watch the recording as an evidence."

Yeah, the court will get a copy of the recording if it was submitted as the evidence. And if the original recording was already embedded with the 'mass-hypnosis' then it will also be carried on like a virus into the copy.

"Then, why did he blame the Alternative V members for his actions?"

"Probably because they were the perfect scapegoat based on what I told him."

She must've meant that the Alternative V supporters were the only group with the motives and resources to break into Yokohama Base.

"Placing the blame on the Imperial Army was also possible, but some people unaffected by the hypnosis would have thought that 'possessing a higher level technology' is not enough reason for the politicians and generals to risk ruining their already-crumbling relationship with the U.N. not after the coup they won't."

I see, that's seems logical… but still… I can't be happy even though the Alternative V project was having a setback. And I'm sure Yuuko-sensei shared the same sentiment.

"Another thing, what did you mean when you said that the precaution was unnecessary?"

"…You remember what I told you about what happened in my office?"

I closed my eyes as I try to recall the event, that was the time when Yuuko-sensei gained the recording from General Radhabinod. I looked into her and I noticed she was gritting her teeth as she spoke.

"Back then, the sobbing Takamine suddenly dropped his act and winked into the hidden camera."

…Ah, so that's it…

I understand now.

Takamine didn't put any command or orders to Yuuko-sensei from the recording.

He didn't have any need to.

The very existence of this recording was just a show of power.

It's as if he was saying. "This isn't all that I can do, if I wanted to I could've done much more."

...This... this is huge...

This isn't just some mass-hypnosis I've seen in theory or in the movies. This is something even greater.

Forget controlling Yokohama Base, if someone has the ability to do such a thing then it's not impossible to even conquer the world with this. We could even use it to unite humanity against the BETA.

But Takamine Yuuto didn't do anything like that.

It was more because he doesn't care much about it rather than he doesn't have the ability to do it.

I don't know much about him, but I can guess from this that Takamine Yuuto doesn't think too highly of this mass-hypnosis ability of his. Someone like Sensei or Yoroi-san, basically the type that prefers to manipulate people, would consider that such an ability was priceless.

"How… did he do this…?" I said it while trembling because I couldn't resist the thought of such absurdity. "How did he do all this! When did he came in contact with the recording in the first place?-!"

"Hmm… I have no idea how he get his hands on it." Yuuko-sensei curtly responded as she folded her arms. "But on the subject on how he created the 'mass-hypnosis', the thought has crossed my mind and I can create something similar to it with Yashiro's help."

"Really?-! You can?"

"Yeah, converting susceptible suggestion into digital data, converting and attaching it into groups of frames and then calibrate it into analog and digital waveforms. I could create such a recording if I want, but it's extremely difficult with all the calculations and the delicate skill to draw the pictures that has to match with the calculation. A lot of machinery and research materials would also be needed. Furthermore, it needs the special ability of someone that is familiar with human psyche, namely someone from the Alternative III."

"Like Kasumi."

"Yes." She nodded briefly. "Someone like her. Oh, I might also have to add that the 30 years were the approximate time I needed to embed a single command to a video if I have full resources."

She didn't say it, but I understood from her tone that the 'full resources' she meant was not something she could gain with her position. And that said_ a lot_ considering her many connections and her position as the Vice-Commander of Yokohama Base.

"Then… if you need that much time… how long did Takamine needed to do all this?"

"I have no idea, but it's certainly not 30 years."

. . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . .

"Tell me something Shirogane." Yuuko-sensei suddenly asked, breaking the 10 minutes silence. "Has something like this happened in your other loops before?"

"You mean a loop where Takamine suddenly appeared, broke into the base, knock me out into the ground, threatened to destroy this world and hypnotized the higher ups of this base? Nope, this is the first time it ever happens. I know I'm usually unsure about my past loops, but of this, I'm absolutely certain."

"I see." She sighed. "I was hoping that he was part of your other loops. But I figured that was too naïve."

"Yuuko-sensei, what were you hoping for if Takamine was part of my previous loops?"

"Just some desperate thinking, I guess. If he was some part of your previous loops then the 'you' from before somehow must've had an idea about his identity and his ability. If that was true, I can have Yashiro look into it, but that's not very feasible."

'Somehow'… eh? That does sound very desperate for someone of Yuuko-sensei's caliber. If this really keeps up, I wonder what will happen.

"So, Yuuko-sensei, what do you think we should do?" I asked.

"What do _you_ think we should do?" She retorted back.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We let out a sigh together at the same time. That silence was all we need to know both of our answers: Neither of us have no idea what we should do.

"Yuuko-sensei" I called out to her grimly. "Did you believe what Takamine said?"

"That depends on the topic."

"What?"

"If you asked me about whether or not he's another dimensional being like you are, then the answer is yes, I believe he was. If you asked me whether or not he could destroy the world, that's a different matter."

That make sense, I'd rather hated the notion that someone could simply destroy the whole world. Yuuko-sensei must have felt the same. But the conclusion still doesn't change.

Takamine Yuuto is dangerous. My military-self silently warned me of that.

Depending on the outcome, he could even become a threat just as big as the BETA.

"We've definitely reached a dead-end with this."

"Yes, unless we can find a way to get rid of him or to appease him. The world will be in terrible danger. And I mean, much more than before, when it was just us and the BETAs."

The world in terrible danger… long ago, that kind of thinking would have terrified me. But now… I merely nodded disappointingly as if I just failed in one of my history test…

When I realized it, I have already become this kind of person… when did this happened? Was it when I saw Marimo-sensei got killed? Or was it from hundreds of other loops before?

"Haaa… no use thinking about that now."

"Shirogane, what are you muttering about?"

Oh, did I say that out loud?

"Nothing much, sensei. Just… reminding myself of the good old days, I suppose."

"The good old days, eh? Well, that's… irrelevant and… and… wait a minute…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hm? E-eh? What's with the sudden silence?

". . . . . . . . his questions of BETA. . . . . . no, that's wrong. . . . . . ."

Now that I focused my hearing a little bit, I could hear faint noises coming out from Sensei's direction.

". . . . . . true. . . . . but then he might actually do it. . . . . . . the 30 minutes Q&A session was illogical, to say the least, but then. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "

T-that's not some faint noises, that's a really scary low-sound mumbling! W-what happened to her? ...Wait...I've seen this before...

Ah! Yeah, that's right! That same look on her face was the same when I gave her several parts of the 100 pages long equations. She's probably going to be like that for a while, so I'll just-"THAT'S IT!"-guah! What just happened? She just jumped up the sofa and yelled all of a sudden.

"Heh, really, why didn't I notice that sooner?" Notice what? Did Sensei realize something? "I got it, Shirogane... he... that Takamine was..."

-WHIIIIIIIRRRRR

A sound interrupted her.

An annoying, whirring sound that signaled an emergency within the base.

_**"Intruder alert at the Core Reactor-level. I repeat, intruder alert at the Core Reactor-level. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. DEFCON 2 is in effect. I repeat, DEFCON 2 is in effect. All units report to your designated area—"**_

Tch! Don't tell me the BETA started attacking right now!

"No, this isn't the BETA. If it really is them, then the situation would be more problematic than an intruder alert. To be frank, I'd prefer it if the BETA are the ones attacking instead of a completely unknown threat. But if that was what he meant back then, then I think I can tolerate it."

Contrary to my panicked face, Yuuko-sensei was completely unfazed by the ordeal. I also noticed from her face that any worries she had in her has completely dissipates for some reason.

"This is Takamine's doing. That boy has made his move."

At the same time, a fierce battle rages on within the BETA Reactor chamber.

* * *

**Fyuh, another one down. Forty-nine left to go... if it ever reached that far... which is highly doubtful.**

**Right then, now I have to apologize because this chapter was thick-filled with explanations of some technical gizmos instead of the standard Muv-luv war tragedy and love comedy. And not to mention the fact that the encounter with BETA are still far, faraway. Well what can I say? The story have to start from somewhere.**

**Love is a very long road, people! But the road of War is close at hand.**


	4. Shadows of the Past

**A Tragedy Lingers Within. Echoes Tainted with Time**. **_Shadows of the Past._**

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

Let's see, that one is Lab 76, that's 77, 78, 79, then this should be… Lab 80, bingo!

Right, here's the console. If I recall the password to this lab should 5-5-7-1-8-9-1. There! It's open.

Now then, this Wisdom should be here in this lab, along with... an old man? A scientist, maybe?

"W-who are you? Unauthorized personnel are-(Wham!)-Gyahhh!"

Whoops, I have to be a little more cautious next time. I punched him without thinking but I didn't use my full power so he should be okay.

Meanwhile, the sword left out on the the desk (at least I think it was a desk, it actually looked like a high-tech operating table than a desk... well, it looks like one, so I'll just call it a desk) sarcastically complain on the other side.

_...You are getting more and more into the character of a comic book villain. What happened to the naive boy that believed in peace and love?_

Nice to see you too, partner. Any more comments before I leave you here to rot?

_Oh, please. A few hundred years in here won't even leave a rust on me._

Fine, fine. Are you coming or what?

_With pleasure, did you prepare the backups?_

Yeah, I set it up on those gundams... err, TSFs stationed in the hangar. We can work without the disturbance of the military. Oh and uh... speaking of which-

_No._

I haven't even said anything!

_For the last time Yuuto, you are not going to ride those TSF machines._

Urgh, but, but, I just-

_Priorities, Master. Remember your priorities._

Oh, come on!

_We will at least spend 200 years in this world. Surely you can get more opportunities to ride them later._

Ergh... S-sometimes 200 years passed by in an instant though, so I should-

_No._

Dammit! FINE! OKAY! I'll get to work...!

Damn workaholic...

* * *

I'd like to say this little investigation trip went smoothly, but that'll just be a huge fat lie.

As it turns out, there are a number of securities posted all around the underground elevator, we could always go invisible like before but that'll be a waste of mana. Wisdom and I have decided to limit our mana usage as much as we can, considering we have a trickling time limit.

So right now, we use the old-fashioned way.

"There you are, Kajiki, it's time to change the shift." said one of the guards in front of the entrance to an elevator to a tall and slinky soldier in front of him.

"Thank God, it's over." Another guard added. "This guard duty is always making me stiff. By the way, Kajiki, where's your friend? Erm... what was his name again...?"

"Private Sato" The man they called Kajiki promptly answered. "He's busy right now. You know how it is with him."

"Too much drink and got himself into latrine again?" The first guard laughed, followed by the other two. "I swear that guy is going to get demoted these days."

"True, someone like him, it's bound to happen one day." The second guard nodded. "But what are we going to do now? Protocol requires two soldiers at each main entrances."

"Aaahh... so that means one of us have to endure this for another 6 hours? Give me a break!"

The two irritated guards cursed their luck and Private Sato who skipped on his job. Noticing their frustration, Kajiki offered them a solution.

"Why don't you two just go on ahead then?" Kajiki smiled. "I'm fine with my own, as long as you guys keep quiet about this we won't get into trouble."

The other two guards looked at each other, then they answered after hesitating a bit.

"Alright, fine. But keep this a secret, you hear?"

"If word gets out to the CO, he'll fire us with the firing squad."

"Yeah, yeah, just get going." Kajiki the guard waved them off as they left the scene. "Right then." Kajiki turned, facing the elevator tower.

Orders are orders, that's true for every soldier. But then again, most people don't like unpaid overtime, especially on soldiers and their guard duties. Of course there are exceptions like in the middle of battle, where they will lose their lives the moment they let down their guard.

Security has been increased within Yokohama base. Especially when two nights ago, a break-in has happened. All guards are high on alert and tension rises amongst the soldiers as another break-in could happen anytime.

So why has the two guards readily abandon their post to just a lone soldier?

There are two answers to that.

One, it's because staying alert at all times deprived them of their much anticipated free-time.

Two, because they recognized and were familiar with the lone soldier.

"Heh. Too easy."

But is that really the only reason there is?

What if there is someone that could make their desire for a rest run rampant?

What if there is someone that could make his body look like someone they familiar with?

Such 'someone' had appeared in front of the two guards.

The image of the man the guards called Kajiki suddenly blurred like a television with bad reception.

When the blur disappeared, a boy with a sword on his back suddenly emerged from within.

"That should be enough for a test run."

_Nice work, illusions and desire manipulation has proven effective._

"Yep, and with this amount of mana upkeep, we should be on the clear."

The boy smiled victoriously as he put his palm into the security console next to the elevator entrance. The console doesn't have any fingerprint security, instead, it has 12 digit password complete with an on-screen keyboard media. He doesn't seem to care how illogical his action is. However, immediately afterwards, the words "Access Granted" completes with the green color on the background appeared on the console. Very odd, considering how he didn't even touch a single button on the keyboard.

"Once we get on this elevator, it'll lead us into the Reactor Control Room. "

_Let's hope there are no girls down there. Otherwise, the victim of Takamine Yuuto's sexual harassment will increase._

"I keep telling you, quit it with that joke!"

* * *

**(Yashiro Kasumi)**

I haven't see Shirogane Takeru for two whole days and it has made me anxious.

I am usually fine even though he went on his missions for a long time. Recently he would take his time to visit Kagami Sumika but he doesn't seem to have the time and it made Kagami Sumika rather anxious too.

"No, that's wrong."

"..."

I can see a glimpse of frustration in her mind when Kagami Sumika failed to twist the Cat's Cradle to form a Soldier's Bed. This was a game Shirogane Takeru had taught me,

"Don't give up."

"..."

I slowly encouraged her, but an oozing image appeared within her mind.

She was irritated.

I know it wasn't because of the Cat's Cradle but it was more Shirogane Takeru's absence that disturbs her more.

"I'm sorry."

"..."

She calmed down immediately hearing my apology. She was kind and sincere. I don't blame her for being distraught with Shirogane Takeru's absence. He is- "Kill."

"!"

"Kill them. Kill them all. I want them all dead!"

Not good. She's acting up again. "Sumika-san, calm down!"

"KILL. KILL THEM ALL. THEY WON'T BREAK ME. THEY WON'T BREAK ME AGAIN! I NEED TO TRAIN. I NEED TO TRAIN AND KILL THEM!"

"...Sumika-san..."

...Again... her traumatic memory has relapsed again... This has been happening regularly ever since she gained a new body. Shirogane Takeru has been constantly trying to stabilize her and it has achieved some results, but... with him being absent this past few days... there's a chance her condition would be worsened by the day.

"NO! DON'T TAKE HIM! I BEG YOU!"

...Eh...? Her eyes... it's...

"GIVE HIM BACK! DON'T TAKE HIM AWAY! I WON'T LET THEM. I WON'T LET THEM TAKE YOU AGAIN!"

...No, this is different... she's... more than before...!

"...! Sumika-san!"

**"GIVE HIM BACK! DON'T TAKE TAKERU-CHAN AWAY!"**

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

_Floor B33. Okay, inside is the control room. Get ready, I sensed thirteen inside, most of them are probably scientists. But five of them have a sharper stance."_

"Alright. Five guards inside. Got it."

So far, so good. I knocked out two of the guards in front, relieve them of their weapons and altered their memories a bit so they won't remember what happened in the last 10 minutes. The control room has EM interferences installed, so they won't notice the gunshots these two guards fired. As for my alibi, right now the decoy I put in the holding cell and the illusion of the two fake guards up the elevator should last for two more hours. With this, I'm all set.

Time to get to work.

**"GIVE HIM BACK! DON'T TAKE TAKERU-CHAN AWAY!"**

"...!"

_...keh!_

_. . . . . . . . . ._

_. . . . . . ._

_. . . ._

...Oooookaaay, what was that voice I heard just now? It was a girl's voice, I can tell. And… yeah, right, the lights in the hallway are flipping up on and off. What is this, a horror movie?

_...Yuuto... Did you hear that?_

"...Yes, this is bad..."

_Really? Then I assume you know what that noise was._

". . . . . . .Nope, haven't got the slightest clue. . . . . . . "

_...Then how can you tell it's bad without even knowing what it is...?_

"Wisdom, think logically. We just heard a very creepy girl voice coupled with the lights flickering about. When is that ever a good sign?"

_Good point. Now what should we_- **"We can't hold them off!"-**_what the?-!_

Oh, great, now what? Creepy male voice? Give me a break!

**….Grrrr…..**

Oh, now a growling voice? THAT is never good.

_Yuuto! Hallway to the left!_

That's... is there someone there? Tch, I'll take you on... **"Don't run! We have to defend the control room!"** ...eh? It vanished? I swear I've seen something passed that corner! Is this a horror movie?-!

"Wisdom! Are there any more soldiers around?-!"

_None! The rest are inside the control room. We've locked the door with the security console before, so they wouldn't be able to get out. Besides, they didn't realize anything was wrong yet, so there should be no need for them to contact the Base HQ for reinforcement. There shouldn't be anyone out here but us!_

"Crap… then did you sense something from that corner?"

_Not just that corner! I'm sensing lots of things from around us! Whatever it is, it's got us wrapped inside!_

"What?-! Wisdom, what exactly are you sensing?-!"

_How should I know!_

"Wisdom, you got a brain the size of a planet! You sure you don't know anything? Or are you keeping another secret like before?"

_...Yuuto. are you insulting me in this situation?_

"Oh not this again, I know you're getting mood swings here Wisdom, but you shouldn't… oh, man, is that…?"

_…Yuuto, you have to understand several things. _"Wisdom, there's a-…"_ FIRST of all, if I have a brain, it would be bigger than an entire galaxy. _"Err, Wisdom-"_ Shut up for a minute! Second of all, there is no need for me to keep any secrets from you, since you already know anything that should be a secret. _"…" _In conclusion: I absolutely have no idea what's happening!_

"...Are you finished…?"

_Mostly yes... What are you looking at so intently?_

"...Nothing much, just a legless soldier that suddenly appeared along with a pool of blood on the floor..."

_…!_

Naturally, I was telling the truth. A black skinned soldier without an arm and without both of his legs has appeared instantly from the path where we came from. Blood is quickly discharging from those holes, filling the floor with the color red.

Although he was wearing the MP uniform, he was not one of the two of the soldiers I knocked out. The two of them are still lying down peacefully hugging down the floor. I wonder how comfortable the floor is for sleeping when that pool of blood reached into their 'bed'.

I'll be lying if I said this doesn't surprise me. But it's not exactly the first time I've seen such a bloody scene either. The surprise came up from how the corpse suddenly appeared. I'm pretty sure I didn't mutilate anyone when I came here. So... did I end up in a horror movie somehow?

**Help me… Somebody help me!**

"…Wisdom, did you hear that?"

_Yeah, I did. He seemed to be saying something._

"Nice observation, Captain Obvious."

_Shut up and check him._

Let me be frank, as much as I hate going near a pool of blood, the situation and my partner (mostly my partner) has forced me into doing such despicable and unsanitary act (mostly unsanitary). I hurriedly and unhappily ran into the soldier. I quickly kneeled to check his condition and... Oh, man.

_He's... transparent? No... a spectral image...?_

As the sword said... when I moved my hands to touch him, my hand passed through his body like I was touching an air. Now that I think about it... his blood is also transparent... when I touched the floor muddied with blood, I couldn't feel any of the usual uncomfortable liquid thickness and the smell of rusty iron… it just feels like touching an ordinary reinforced concrete floor. Alright, then. This guy could only be one thing.

"So... he's a ghost? Great. Now we're ghost hunters."

_Apparently so. Though... I'm not sure 'ghost hunters' are appropriate since technically we're not hunting any._

Huh, it's a rare thing hearing Wisdom agreed so readily to me.

_Hmm... I don't assume you have an 'improvisation' ready for this miscalculation?_

"Oh sure, a mysterious ghost suddenly appeared when we were trying to breach into the military's most secured area, how predictable... or not! Who in their right mind could predict something like this you idiot!"

_Really? I recalled someone saying he planned for everything and he had everything under control. I wonder who said that?_

Gh! He sure knows when to hit it when it hurts... whatever, let's try communicating with the ghost now, shall we?

"Hey, are you okay?"

As soon as I said that, I realized how stupid it was. I mean... come on! The guy lost his arm and two of his legs and he's spewing blood all over. How is he even okay with that...?

_It's fine, I don't think he noticed your idiocy. As a matter of fact, I don't think we are even visible to him._

Huh, that's true. The soldier kept on struggling with the pain on his body and he didn't even ask for help… no, that's wrong. His erratic breathing suggests he is no longer able to speak much without killing himself. Still, if he does notice me, he could at least look into my direction here instead of focusing his sight on his arm. He tried holding the blood from his disfigured arm with his one last hand to no avail.

Then another mysterious noise came out.

**BAM! BAM! BAM!**

_Wait... are those...?_

Gunshots?

_Seems like it. Hey, look at our friend here._

"What? He's... ah, he seemed to be responding to the gunshot."

True enough, he suddenly turned into the direction of the hallway where the gunshot rang out. Suddenly he widened his eyes and yelled in fear.

**No... No, No, NO!**

"Hey pal! Snap out of it."

_It's pointless, Master. He won't even hear you._

I know that... but still, what is going on here? He suddenly went frantic and started screaming when the gunshots appeared.

**NOOOOO! SOMEBEODY HELP ME!**

What the hell? He's screaming even louder. And... why is he crawling away?

_Yuuto... judging from his line of vision and the gunshot before. Something that scared him originated from the gunshot. Seems like it was somewhere in the hallway behind us._

This part of floor B-33 I'm standing in is a one-way narrow corridor with only one branching path into the control room. The soldier and I are in front of the door to the control room. The other path pointed to the elevator, while the other... well, I didn't read the blueprints that intently, so I forgot... At any rate, since he was heading down to the elevator I came from, then that means whatever it is he was avoiding came out from hallway behind me.

"I noticed. So he's trying to get away from that."

_Close... but that's not the complete answer._

"What?"

_I don't think he was running away from the gunner... call it a weapon's instinct, but I think he was running away from 'something' that the gunner has shot... judging from his line of vision. That 'something' survived the gunshots and is moving closer into his position._

"Right... and I don't suppose we know anything about this 'something', other than the fact that bullets aren't enough to kill it."

_No, but-_

**GRRRAAAAARRRR...**

"…!"

_...!_

"Wisdom, why do I get the feeling that roar has something to do with this 'something'?"

_Yuuto, look!_

"…What the..."

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!**

Something grabbed into him as he yelled in despair.

I can't see what it was, but from the way his marrow bone twisted, something has grabbed him with powerful force. He tried to struggle his way free, but it just increased his pain more and more.

**IT HURTS! IT HUUUUUURRRTTTSSS!**

And then blood spewed out more from the hole that was supposed to be attached to his right leg. This 'something' has grabbed him in his right hip.

**GUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!**

I was rendered speechless with that scene. I imagine Wisdom would have his mouth agape if he has a mouth to begin with.

**NO… NO! DON'T. DON'T! GUAAAAAAAH!**

_Yuuto! It's dragging him!_

"Ah, damn it!"

Unlike before when he was crawling slowly, the soldier's body was pulled away backward with intense force. He tried to resist by swinging his one arm wildly. It was a desperate act to grab whatever it is that could stop him from being dragged away.

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH HHHHHHHHHHHH**!

"SHIT!"

_Yuuto!_

Hearing his screams, I unconsciously grabbed his hand.

Several milliseconds before my hand touched him, I thought: Haaaa... this is stupid. Wisdom said it himself, this man is a spectral image of some sort, my hand will just pass through his body.

But then I felt a something solid strongly grasped my hand.

As soon as it happened, the scene immediately changed with a flash of light.

* * *

Takamine Yuuto was still in front of the control room in floor B-33.

However, the area has changed into a scene of carnage.

Blood, bones, flesh, corpse and death filled the corridor of floor B-33. Completely different from the clean and well-maintained corridor of B-33.

The two soldiers that he knocked out were also not present. Replacing them was the uniform of three MP guards fully stained in blood with the horribly disfigured corpses of their owners.

Incidentically, one of the MP was barely alive.

He was the same person that has appeared as a ghost before, but now he felt as real as it could get.

The MP was deeply in shock when someone appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his hand.

Takamine Yuuto was surprised himself. But he still held his hand tight, with no intentions of letting him lose.

"W-who... where did you...?"

Despite all the pain running through his body, the soldier managed to utter several words to the boy.

"What the hell is that?-!"

On the other hand, Takamine Yuuto also noticed the one grabbing the MP on the other end.

A pale-white creature with a contortedly disgusting feature. Even though it was bigger, its face was similar to a human. But it was horribly disoriented, disfigured... tainted.

Just as Takamine was distracted by the creature, the strength on his grip slipped immediately.

"Shit!"

In a split second.

The soldier's torso was split in half.

**GRRRRAAAA!**

The creature let out an inhumane roar as it finished ripping its victim in half. The soldier became quiet as his body has turned into nothing but another drop of flesh and corpse. As if satisfied, the creature laid its eyes into the boy. Its next target.

"...Is this the BETA we've been hearing so much about?"

The boy quickly recovered from his shock and regained his composure. In a battlefield, time is a precious commodity. As much as he hated it, not wasting time to mourn or lament the death of a man, he started appraising the creature in front of him.

He slowly reached toward his sword and glared at the creature.

_Looks like it is. How did they get into this base? No, that's not the problem. I don't think this a normal phenomenon. That sensation from the light was similar to a dimensional fluctuation._

"You don't say, with all the screams and the ghost... well, I'm sure this is just the universe acting up again. Things are taking a really strange turn. But at least, it doesn't fall out of our jurisdiction."

Even though the boy was talking leisurely, his body maintained his guard up as he faced the creature.

"Just so you know, this is way, _way_ out of my original expectation of unexpected problems."

_It's a bit late to say that, don't you think?_

**...GRRR...**

A low growl escaped from the creature's mouth... no, because it was so distorted, that organ could not even be called a 'mouth'.

_It's coming._

"I know."

An apparent blood-lust appeared on his face. His stance and posture looks relaxed but the atmosphere around it was so intense, it would blow away anyone or anything careless enough to approach him. An expert in close combat would be able to tell that this was the boy's battle stance.

Regardless of that, the creature charged into the boy.

He stretched out its arms as if it wanted to crush him with his palms.

Only a few more centimeters until that monstrous arm with power enough to tear down steel reached the boy's head.

-But...

"That was easier than expected."

The boy muttered leisurely as if the fight was finished.

The creature stood there blankly as if it doesn't understand what happened.

It tried to move its head as it looked into its arm.

That was when it realized.

- Its head was gone.

- Its arms were torn apart.

- Its torso had a circular hole gaping blood from within.

If it has a mind, it would be wondering what had happened.

If it has a mind, it would widen its eyes in surprise.

If it has a mind, it would scream out in pain like its last victim.

If it has a mind... it would realize it was about to die.

Sadly, it was a mere mindless monster whose destruction was its purpose of creation.

In the end, the creature died without realizing its death.

...But the creature was not alone.

"Tch, more of them, huh?"

_34 of them approaching fast from your front! Another 25 behind us!_

The hordes of deadly aliens marched into the bloodied corridor where the boy was standing.

"Let's take them all out then." Takamine Yuuto calmly stated his intention as he prepared himself for another fight.

_Not here! Too narrow, get to the control room! It'll give you some space to maneuver._

"Right, the control room." Yuuto glanced into the door of the BETA Reactor control room.

Unlike before when the strange phenomenon occured, the door was open.

...And small drips of blood could be seen stretching from the entrance.

"...Err, Wisdom? I... don't think the control room is a good idea."

_I never said it was, now get a move on!_

"You have got to- **"Kyaaaa!"** –oh, what now?-! A girl's scream?"

_Another reason why we should get to the control room, hurry up!_

"I know!"

Takamine Yuuto dashed into the room with the sword in hand.

And he immediately regretted it.

He regretted his earlier hesitation and his lack of response.

He regretted seeing the girl in her eyes; her beauty was ushered with terror and fear of death.

For he arrived just in time to see the girl being held by another white creature he had just defeated earlier.

She didn't even have time to react with a scream.

With a loud bang, the girl was violently smashed into the big glass window that hovered a view of the BETA Reactor.

A gush of blood flowed from the girl's body.

It poured out into the glass, flowing like a river into the floor.

The glass window itself was not broken, only shattered into small cracks centered around the

The monster that did this to her changed its attention to the newcomer.

"...Oh hell..."

Muttering to himself, Takamine Yuuto clicked his tongue.

He looked into the hazel-haired girl who was pinned into the glass window.

At first, from her silence, Yuuto thought she was done for, but that was mistaken. A shrapnel of glass has pierced her throat rendering her unable to speak.

She was still alive and conscious. But she doesn't have much left.

Despite all her pain and suffering she endured, the girl also looked into the strange boy wearing an unidentified high school uniform.

She blinked several times, not understanding who or why he's here.

In the end, ignoring the pain, she mustered all the strength she had left to move her mouth.

". . . . . . . . . . . .Run. . . . . . . . . . "

In that instant, Takamine Yuuto froze in place.

In the face of death, the girl was not begging for mercy, she was not crying in pain, she was not yelling in frustration, she was not screaming curses on her enemy. She did none of those ugly, unsightly and pathetic thing that most human would do in her situation.

Instead, she was telling the boy to run.

If he was a friend or an acquaintance of hers, he could understand. But the boy was a total stranger that has never met her before.

She was telling a total stranger to get away from this madness.

"...What an idiot."

Takamine Yuuto muttered softly to himself.

That was when the creature made its move.

"...!"

The girl tried to warn him, but she doesn't have any strength left to even talk.

Just like before, the pale white creature charged into the boy.

"Well, I don't exactly know what's going on here, but I'm not the type of person to just mercilessly abandon someone and run away, it's not exactly my style, you know."

These words were directed into the dying girl.

"As long as someone needed my help, as long as it's not my enemy, as long as I'm allowed to interfere; then I'll do whatever it takes to help them. That's the rule I've imposed on myself to prevent too much influence I'll give to a world."

Contrary to her expectation, the boy didn't even pay any heed to the creature.

The creature was less than a centimeter away from the boy.

Death is only a few inches away.

"Luckily for you, this situation fits all three of them."

* * *

**(Yashiro Kasumi)**

"Sumika-san! Wake up! SUMIKA-SAN!"

It's no use. She won't respond no matter what I said. And that blank look in her... it's like she was going into a trance-like state.

"Sumika-san!"

Even when I shook her this much, there's still no respond. What happened to her? This isn't her usual 'condition'. I tried entering her mind to communicate but something is blocking me. The state of her mind was completely different than usual. Her alpha brainwaves were following a certain complex pattern instead of the usual scrambled brainwaves. Even in theory, it's genetically impossible for her brain to operate such a highly complex meta-waves. This is... illogical.

It's like...

...!

Of course! It's like the mind of that boy from before. Takamine Yuuto!

Did he do something to her? But Takamine Yuuto was locked up in a secure area.

No... I shouldn't think that way. Just because Takamine Yuuto was locked up that doesn't mean he couldn't do any harm from inside. His ability... was powerful. Maybe he did something to Sumika-san even when he was detained. I can't discount the possibility that he already broke out and no one here ever realized it.

"..."

...I can't think of any other option... but what can I do from here...? I doubt even the Professor can handle this... so... what can I do...?

"..."

Stabilize her brainwaves. Yes, that is possible. I could get her out of her trance by scrambling the pattern of her brainwaves. But this might be risky since it also involves inputting my own alpha waves into her mind in the melding process, Takamine Yuuto could manipulate me with that.

But that... is all I can do now.

I can do this!

Emulating brain signal... calculating... calculating... begin penetration.

3%... 5%... 10% alpha waves scanned... root data located... clearing wave sector...

...!

Signal rejection detected... attempt to block... Signal drawback failed! This is…! Unknown phantom signals detected in Sumika Kagami's brainwaves... phantom signals are being emitted... Attempt to locate target location... it's aimed at... it's... sent to me...?

"Guh!"

Pain...? From my mouth... it's... blood? How...? The unknown signals... it can... harm the receiver...? A psychic security measure? Inside Kagami Sumika? This is impossible. There is no logical way it could be possible!

What should I do? Contact the professor? That option seems viable. But... isn't she monitoring Kagami Sumika's health status remotely using the DIC implant chips? If so, then she should have noticed this irregularities sooner and came running here on her own. Then, what does it mean? Is this really something that the professor could not detect? Then... what should I do? What should I do?

...

...What is he going to do in a situation like this...?

That's right. Something like this will not stop Shirogane Takeru... I have to keep going!

Focus... focus... focus...

Emulating brain signal... Begin Penetration!

* * *

It happened in the blink of an eye.

The girl was not sure what the boy had done, no one would.

The white creature was sliced apart.

Its body, which normal handgun bullets would have a hard time to penetrate, was torn apart as easily as if it was paper.

Finished with his opponent, Takamine Yuuto slowly approached the girl.

She was dying, but that doesn't mean she can't be saved.

"H-how... did you... Guhuk...!"

"Hey! Don't talk! Your throat was barely standing! If you speak, you'll have your lungs spitted out from your mouth!"

She coughed up blood from her mouth. Her military uniform was drenched in her own red blood.

Takamine Yuuto realized that if her body moved even slightly, the last pieces of her bones and muscles would fall apart immediately. So he deliberately tried as much as he can not to shook her body too much as he checked her vital organs.

"Ah, shit. Her conditions are way beyond normal... hey Wisdom! Any chance we could use the Instant Regeneration on her?"

'Who is he talking to?' She wondered.

There is no one here but us. And why are you using sword? How did you kill that Venator with just a sword? Why are you in that uniform? Don't you realize this is a military base? Civilians are not allowed here especially in this emergency.

Those kinds of question quickly passed through her mind. But she wasn't able to voice it. To be more accurate, she doesn't have the ability to.

"I see, so it's not possible, is it? Damn it. And we don't exactly know how we got swallowed up into this... rather than that, we don't even know _what_ we got swallowed up into in the first place!"

In the end, all she could do was stare into the boy as he was talking to himself.

"So, Gaia's Blessing would be enough? I don't know if you noticed, but there's barely any earth mana around... wait, forget earth mana, there's practically no natural mana around here! I hate to say it, but we got to bring out the reserves and-... Geh! You're right. A dimensional collapse... that's definitely a problem. Aaaaahhh, damn it! What should we do now?-! What the hell is going on!"

The boy showed a troubled expression when he realized he reached a dead end.

If she could, the girl would have stifled a laugh seeing him like that.

She knows it sounded ridiculous, but she found his expression rather cute.

It was really similar to a certain someone she had met long ago.

She's going to die anyway. Indulging in such thoughts in her last moment doesn't seem bad.

_"Haruka!"_

A voice appeared from one of the intercom. It appeared to have surprised the boy as well, as he started looking intently at something out of the window.

Two shadows were visible on the other side of the glass. From the shape of it, it must be the TSF those two were riding.

_"Haruka! come... in...! ...Ru.. Ka... com... in... ar... kay... ru..."_

The voice from the intercom was getting more distorted due to the interference.

'Ah, those two must be seeing me pinned into the window from outside' was what she thought.

Even if a one-way mirror was installed in this room, the white background of the glass must be giving away the red color of blood flowing from her body. Enabling her companions in the BETA Reactor to see her image drowned in red.

She was in a state where she was barely alive. One small push in her chest then the support of her bones would fell. Resulting in an immediate and awfully painful death.

"...Haruka-san... was it?"

The girl who had her name called turned her hazy attention into the one calling her name.

Unable to concentrate anymore, she tried to focus the image of the boy but it failed horribly. All she could see was a heavily blurred vision of him.

"Hey! Focus! Stay with me, Haruka-san! Stay with me! You're going to be fine. You're going to be just fine! Wisdom, she's losing more blood. Help me close the bleeding!"

A weave of light rose up in her eyes and she could feel a faint comforting feeling spreading across her wounds.

But that feeling doesn't last very long.

"Ah, damn it! Her lower vein was shredded out! ...I know! Heart failure in 3 seconds! Wisdom, focus the mana on the deeper part of her abdomen! Maybe we can reduce the pressure and delay the bleeding long enough to cast Earth Prayer as emergency treatment... not to worry Wisdom, we'll get her out of this."

She doesn't know how horrible her wounds are. But from the pain she felt, she was sure anyone else would think of her as someone that can't be saved and they would consider the option of putting her out of her misery.

She wondered how the boy retain such an optimistic tone in spite of that, and who the boy was talking to, because it doesn't seem as if he was talking to her.

**Grrrr...**

"...!"

"Oh, not now!"

An ever familiar low growl appeared from behind the boy.

The girl named Haruka widened her eyes in shock when her hazy vision showed more than five huge silhouettes appeared from the door behind the boy.

The BETAs have come back.

Based on their movements, a lot more of them are going to reach this room soon.

"They just picked a hell of timing to catch up, aren't they?"

Despite the danger, the boy merely clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Haruka knows just how dangerous the BETA are when a human faced them on foot, the probability of their survival on facing a single BETA unarmed are dangerously close to zero. And yet a whole horde is coming?

Haruka realized two normal human being won't stand a chance.

But... is he really a normal human being?

Do they really doesn't stand any chance?

"No choice but to take this to the extreme! Wisdom, Fireball! Medium spread. Small diameter. We don't want this place collapse on us now, do we?"

She still doesn't understand what the boy was talking about, but she saw his eyes glittered in anticipation.

There was no sense of despair in him. Only reaching victory and destroying his enemies.

"Mana! As the master of this sword, I command you. Change into fire orbs, and engulf my enemies!"

The words that came out from his mouth sounded like a chant for a magic spell. Haruka doesn't realize how close that description was.

Flickering red lights appeared from both of the boy's hands. It doesn't take very long for Haruka to realize it was flames.

Not paying it any heed, the horde of Soldier-class BETA Venator rushed into the room with inhuman screeching sounds.

"Here. We. Go!"

With a savage smile, Takamine Yuuto threw the balls of flames into the approaching horde.

The result was instantaneous.

Explosions wiped the horde on its track. The front and middle line instantly turned into ashes. While the ones on the back received a full-blown knock back effect from the pressure. Some caught their body on fire.

He produced flames from his hands and blown up several Soldier-class BETA with it. Nobody in their right mind would believe it, but it was a different case if someone were to see it happen right in their eyes.

At first, Haruka thought it was just her near-death mind feeding imagination to her thoughts, giving her comfort in her last moments.

However, the smell of burning meat and the exhilarating heat was a proof on how real that scene was.

The boy capable of producing such a miracle was not an ordinary human being.

But even such a miracle was not enough.

"They're persistent! I'll give them that!"

Takamine had not heard of this, but the BETA's greatest strength is their numbers.

Just as quickly as they died, another of them quickly replaced their ranks.

Both of them could see more of them coming. Luckily, the obstacles on their way were the bodies of their own dead that littered the entrance. But as mindless as they are, they gave no qualms about such things. They were struggling to shove aside the body of their deads to get into the control room and eliminate the two humans inside.

"More than two hundreds? Shit! Why at a time like this?"

Through an unknown method, the boy had predicted the amount of enemy converging into their position.

"Gu...! Guhuk...!"

At the same time, Haruka's condition worsened by the second.

"Ah! Haruka-san, hang on!"

Takamine Yuuto abandon his fighting stance and put his palms into her stomach, once again from his hands appeared a strange glimmering light that gave Haruka an oddly comfortable feeling that eased her pain.

But his expression tenses up as if the situation has worsened.

"I know, Wisdom... this is one hell of a mess we got ourselves into... Oh, alright! I knew I should have closed the door. Can you access the system with mana? Well, if you can, then seal that damn door!"

Normally, to seal the door in emergency, someone needs to put up an entry code from the main HQ but somehow it closed itself on its own.

The tense in the atmosphere doesn't dissipate as easily.

The BETA will just break down the door with their powerful force, and with that door closed their escape route has been sealed.

They were cornered.

Haruka thought he was concerned about the number of enemies but she was wrong.

Numbers doesn't matter to the Eternal.

If his enemies are people that have reason in their minds then it complicates things, but he'll deal with them with the least amount of bloodshed possible.

If his enemies are mindless monsters then things are a lot simpler.

The problem was not whether he could deal with the BETA, but rather if he could deal with the BETA while protecting a half-dead girl.

No, that's not right.

He had enough on his hands just to keep her alive, so the moment he put off the healing spell to fight, she'll die of her wounds eventually.

On the other hand, her wounds are too severe for a quick 5 or 10 minutes healing. Even with mana, the least it'll take for a first aid is approximately one hour. In that span of time, the BETA would finish their dinner with their livers as dessert.

If his intentions are to keep the girl alive, then Yuuto was just caught in a checkmate.

If he stops the spell and fight, then the girl will die.

If he continues healing the girl, then they both will die.

Basically, there are no versions of this where the girl named Haruka could came out alive.

"...I should have added a barrier on the door..."

Takamine murmurs as he realized his odds, clicking his tongue once again.

That was when he heard a voice.

It was so weak, that he initially thought it was another creepy/ghostly whisper like before.

"Why... didn't... you run...?"

It came from the girl named Haruka.

He looked into the source of that voice, and found Haruka weakly staring at him.

Looks like she recovered enough, Takamine was partly relieved that she finally regains her ability to speak without spilling the insides of her throat.

"...I've seen... what you can do... I... don't know... how you did it... but if... someone like you... exist... then... you have... to live..."

Her consciousness was dragging her words out of her throats, choking her with sharp pain every time she spoke a word. She couldn't speak half of the things she wanted to tell this stranger, but the boy can feel her sincerity from her eyes.

"..If... someone like you... were to die here... then... humanity... will suffer... I... have finished... my duty... so... please... leave..."

Hearing her teary-eyed pleads, any average soldier would be moved to tears; even the most stone-hearted soldier would offer her a salute of respect, but...

"Is that all what you wanted to say?"

Yuuto simply responded indifferently.

"Rather than wasting your energy to talk about pointless stuff and pointlessly die, wasting all my efforts in the process, you should, at least, shut up and let me do my job."

A completely rude and insensitive remark.

Haruka had worked up all her determination, all her resolve, to make a hard decision that not everyone is willing to make.

And yet, the boy ruthlessly trampled over it.

That alone has unconsciously made Haruka frowned in anger.

"If you're... too focused... on healing me... then we'll both... die... eventually..."

It was unlikely that she was able to discern the details of the situation like Yuuto did, but she could sense how dire the situation was just by hearing the menacing growls that were steadily increasing from the hallway. And yet, instead of stopping the incoming BETA or escaping, the boy in front of her prioritized on saving her alone.

'Don't you realize that there are more soldiers out there that need your help more than I do?' was what Haruka wanted to scream out into him. The girl was not strong enough to scold or to chastise him about that matter, but her glaring eye was enough to prove her point.

"Ah, yeah, well, it happens."

...A point that Yuuto has deliberately ignored.

Incidentally, the boy himself doesn't exactly know about the slaughter within the base since he just 'came' into the area recently.

That's why Haruka stared blankly at the boy who immersed himself into the chaos all by himself.

It wasn't normal to be able to stand up to that. Was courage really the right term for the source of his willpower?

"Why... are... you here...? Who... are you...? Why... are you... helping me...?"

Even in this crisis, anyone couldn't help but feel suspicious of someone like that.

Haruka's tone changed.

"Are... you... someone... an outside force... planted here...?"

Her tone was a reprimanding harsh statement, like accusing someone of something he didn't do.

"If... you are... after something... in the base... then it's pointless... to keep... helping me... I don't have... anything... of value... that could be used... by your group..."

Even though she was weak and wounded she was still of the military.

The boy himself kept quiet, not saying anything in response.

"I... knew it..."

That alone shed some truth in Haruka's statement.

"I... would have... pointed a gun at you... if it's not for this..."

Her harsh tone grew stronger.

"Leave... now..."

An apparent anger was clearly shown on her face.

She moved her body away from his palms, as soon as she did; the strange glowing light that has been enveloping her with comfort fluttered away.

Pain quickly came back.

It was so painful that she gritted her teeth to resist her scream.

In spite of that, she still spoke to the boy.

"I'd... rather die... then having... a traitor like you... save my life..."

She was growing weaker, but her voice was filled with disdain.

She was denying the boy's help and accuses him of one of the greatest crime in the military. Being accused like that, and forced into an edge like this... would make someone helping her to quickly leave and stormed off in anger.

She abandoned her one way to survive in order to preserve her pride.

Completely and utterly unreasonable.

And yet...

That... was merely what she wanted herself to sound like.

_. . . . . . . . . . . Please . . . . . . . . . . . leave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

She silently begged him in her mind as she was about to burst into tears.

She was lying.

She doesn't want to add another body into her grave.

She wanted the boy to continue on living.

After what he did, she had a feeling that boy could do something no one could ever do.

She doesn't want to sound like someone ungrateful, but she has to do so in order to get him to leave.

But his reaction was not what she expected.

"Heh, it's a bit complicated like that. Yes, I am someone from the outside. Yes, I have my something I need to do here. No, I don't belong to a group of some sort. No, I'm not from Yokohama Base so I'm not exactly a traitor. And yes, you have absolutely no value to me."

He stated the truth very bluntly as he shrugged his shoulders.

Yuuto faced the girl in the eye as he spoke.

"To be honest, I don't even know why I'm here. As for why I'm helping you... well..."

He was using a gentle tone that does not fit inside that hell.

"You still wanted to live right...?"

The boy asked a simple question.

But upon hearing that, Haruka felt like her heart has been churned to pieces.

She probably had no idea how the muscles in her face were moving as her cheek's seemed to convulse.

Without waiting any respond, he placed his hands into her stomach again; the strange glowing light appeared once more. Haruka's body was too weak to resist.

"...Do you want to live?"

Not looking into her eyes and focusing on healing her, he repeated that simple question.

Haruka fell silent.

She could never say no, because it'll be denying her innermost desire that reminded her of the value of living.

No matter how unsightly or disgusting it was, her desire to stay alive was what kept her as human in that unreasonable world, where the loss of a life has become a daily occurrence.

She couldn't say no... but at the same time, she couldn't say yes either.

No matter how illogical or unreasonable it was, she doesn't want to become a burden that will deprive the boy of his own life. She doesn't know a single thing about the boy in front of her nor what his goal is, however she secretly understood his importance to mankind with his ability.

But most importantly, it was because of the boy himself.

The girl and the rest of the military were trained in sacrifice; it was their sworn duty to accomplish the missions assigned to them and sacrifice their life in the face of the greater good of mankind.

The same could not be said for the boy.

He might be a civilian. He might be a special agent of some organization. Haruka could imagine several others of what he might be that explained his presence in this base... but what he's doing is out of those lines.

She had never met him before. So he was not of Yokohama Base.

If he is a special agent or someone with a certain purpose here, he won't waste his time on the girl and do his duty as quick as he can.

If he is a civilian, then he must be out of his mind to approach this battlefield and sacrifice his life for a stranger... then again, the possibility of him becoming a civilian is quite low since he had said he has a certain purpose here.

Regardless of what he is, Haruka has one conclusion about the boy.

_He must not die here. Not because of me._

In this world, death is common.

It was as common as breathing. It was as common as air. It was as common as water. It was as common as ruins. It was common as wreckage. It was as common as blood. It was as common as weapons. It was as common as people. It was as common as soldiers. It was as common as battle. It was as common as war.

Life is constantly lost.

As such, the value of human life has decreased greatly.

When someone died, their families might still weep, their friends might still feel sorrow and their lovers might still shed some tears.

But strangers will just pass by as if it was normal.

Some might offer their condolences, but it was just a mere formality or gesture of respect.

It was natural, in a way, that a stranger would behave like that. Death is already a part of a normal cycle of life.

However, in this world, the value of 'normal' has changed.

Instead of a natural cycle of life, it has become a natural cycle of death.

In this world, it is already normal to lose someone in this endless war, just as normal as how kids would sometimes gain bad grades in school in a certain peaceful world. It was different than being accustomed to death, accustomed to pain, to suffering... it was already beyond the point of being 'accustomed'.

Whether it's families, friends, lovers or strangers...

...Deep down, they all feel how 'normal' it was...

That was the real proof of how reduced mankind has.

She herself was no exception.

She still feels pain and sadness when someone close to her died, but that sense of 'normality' has slowly corroded inside.

Her teammates were the same. That dangerous 'normality' has seeped through their souls.

That's why... the boy in front of her must not die here.

Someone like him that truly values human life even after seeing so much death is rare. She knew she had only met him for several minutes, but that was enough time for Haruka to understand his nature. He was trying to save her despite knowing it would lead to his own death, and he doesn't have the slightest hesitation or doubt in his eyes. All her life, she had only met two other people that shared that rarity. One of them is still fighting outside.

If he made the effort to save her, both of them would perish in that place.

That's why she couldn't say yes. Her illogical-self doesn't want anyone to die alongside her.

That's why she couldn't say no. Her unsightly-self constantly reminded her of the joy of living.

Her unsightly self and her illogical self fought within her mind.

Silence was all she could manage.

In the backgrounds, the shrill sound of the monsters approaches. The horde was getting closer. They will only need minutes to enter the room.

Even after all that, she still couldn't accept it.

"I... am... a soldier... and part... of the Valkyries..."

Her vision has become blurred and distorted as her mind was fading away so she cannot she his reaction, but she continue speaking anyway.

"Achieve your mission... with all your might... despair not... till your last breath... make your death... counts. That... was the creed of my unit."

She muttered weakly as if she was trying to convince herself.

"I... have already finished my mission... the Reactor was already shut down... as for the second part... even with that light... I don't think... you can stop me... from breathing my last breath... the least you could do... is to make my death count..."

"What kind of ridiculous nonsense are you talking about?"

...

...What...did he just say...?

"I can somehow agree with the first two. But 'make your death count'? What's with that overly oppressing creed?"

"Stop joking around!"

Haruka angrily shouted. Apparent anger was visible on her. She would have said a lot more but the blood bulging out from her throat forced her to stop and cough loudly.

"Ah, I see. Hard times, harder actions, I guess." He noticed her anger. Even if he understood her anger he still shrugged indifferently like it was none of his business.

It was impossible for Haruka to remain silent.

"You... (Cough!) have no right to-...!"

"Geez, you just won't shut up, will you?" He sighed. "Then let me tell you something, are you mad because I mocked your unit? Or is it because you were mad at yourself?"

"...!"

"You said it before, achieve your mission with all your might, despair not till your last breath, make your death count. Isn't there a line in that mentioned that you shouldn't despair until you're truly dead? If you just give up now, then aren't you just contradicting yourself, Haruka-san?"

Once again, Haruka fell silent for a moment.

After a while she opened her mouth to speak, but the boy hastily cut in.

"Let me tell you something, Haruka-san." He said, not expecting her to respond. "Make your death count? That's hard. Make your life count? That's even harder."

"...!"

Haruka's face silently paled.

Yuuto ignored that and spoke up half-heartedly.

"In short, shut up before you kill yourself and make my life even harder... Oh, wait a minute." Then Yuuto stopped like he remembered something he forgot. "On second thought, do speak up. You haven't answered my question yet. I'm really stressed out, so please answer me quick."

The boy asked as he faced the wounded girl again. Meanwhile, the inhuman sound appeared from behind them, along with the sound of steel breaking apart.

There's no time left for them to escape.

Inhuman forms appeared from the door.

This time, they really will die.

And yet, the boy doesn't lose his composure. No, rather, it was more appropriate to say that he no longer cares about it.

"...Do you want to live...?"

His sound brushed off all that danger from Haruka's concern.

At the same time the boy stopped his hands that were giving off the strange light. Unlike before though, Haruka felt no pain at all.

Her wounds were mildly closed and her pain seemed to be lessened somewhat. She was not in a good condition, but she was obviously better than before.

She doesn't know how he does it, but he has somehow stopped her from dying.

He was smiling, Haruka noticed.

It was not the same tragic smile someone have when they're about to face their doom.

It was a look of confidence, bravery and in a certain twisted way... joy.

...The same gleaming joy a maniac would have when they're about to do something really insane.

"Well, Haruka-san?"

Oddly enough, that smile also gave her a glimpse of hope.

Just like his gentle tone before, that smile was not fitting for this hell.

In the end, Haruka could only nod weakly in response.

"Good." He smiled. "Wisdom, prepare to release the limiter, we'll bust through with force. Limit release, 10%."

The boy began to be shrouded with mysterious blue lights.

An enormous amount of energy has entered the boy, Haruka was struck speechless, her eyes widened from bewilderment.

"If you really want to live, then stick close to me."

Slowly but surely, Haruka began to trust his words.

She will be saved, she will be fine, everything is going to be okay. That was what her unconscious shouted deep in her heart.

That was when it happened.

That was when it all fell apart...

**"I do not like ruining such a marvelous scene. Alas, the show must go on."**

"...!"

_Yuuto!_

It was the voice of an old woman.

**_It sounded so dark._**

As if it would blind you for eternity.

**_It sounded so resentful._**

As if it would drag you into sorrow.

**_It sounded so deep._**

As if it would drown you into despair.

That voice came from Haruka.

She blinked several times, not understanding why her mouth can utter such a strange and deathly voice.

Her body began to move against her will.

An extraordinary strength from her arm pushed the boy down on the floor.

All her nervous system sends out millions of signals concerning the terrible pain and stress in her. But her body persisted on holding down the boy.

Haruka barely noticed that her own mouth moved.

What appeared was a smile. Savage, cruel, cold-hearted smile.

The girl has changed drastically without her even knowing why.

The boy also blinked several times, clearly surprised by her actions and her unbelievable strength.

Before he could figure out what happened, the two machines outside opened fire into the room.

* * *

**(?) (?)**

It hurts.

My entire body hurts.

It hurts.

I can't scream.

Even though it hurts, why can't I scream?

Why is this happening?

So many deaths, so much pain.

It hurts.

Everything hurts.

When I tried to move, it hurts.

When I tried to see, it hurts.

When I tried to walk, it hurts.

When I tried to speak, it hurts.

Even remembering hurts.

Why does it hurt so much?

Ah, yes.

I must be dying.

Huh? No, that's wrong.

I'm not dying.

Before... with that boy. I was already dying.

This pain. It hurts much more than dying.

So is this... death?

Is this really death?

Maybe I really am dead.

Even though I'm dead, there's so much pain.

It hurts.

The pain... when does it end?

Even though I'm dead, why is there still so much pain?

Am I the only one here?

To be trapped in this endless pain and suffering.

Am I the only one?

**No, you are not, child.**

That voice... It was the same one as before.

Who are you?

**Can you guess, child?**

Guess?

About who you are?

**No, child. It is not a question of who...**

Not who?

Then... What you are?

**Exactly so.**

I see.

Then what are you?

**Guess, child.**

I don't know.

**My, you could guess I was a grim reaper claiming your soul.**

Are you?

**Ohohohoho! No, I am not.**

You laughed like an old lady.

**Perhaps I am.**

Where am I?

**You are on a stage.**

A stage?

**Yes, a marvelous stage, the one I prepared for the audience.**

I don't understand.

**You have no need to understand.**

I don't get it. What should I do? What can I do?

**There is nothing you can do.**

This pain, it hurts. When does it end?

**It won't.**

What?

**That pain... will stalk.**

**It stalks for it is in its nature.**

**It will never leave you.**

**It will never abandon you.**

**It will always be there.**

**By your side.**

**In the darkness.**

I see.

It won't leave?

If so...

I should have died a long time ago.

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

Whoa... that was some intense dream I had... Egh... my head... right... must've gotten too much to drink...

Anyway... what was that dream about...? I had this... job... in that... a really messed up world... and then... I got sent... by this... legless guy... ghost... to an even more messed up world... yeah... heheh... more messed up... was trying to save this... cute girl... and she pounced on me instead. Okay... better keep that one quiet from Aselia...

_Yuuto! Wake up!_

...Aahn...? Shut up... Wisdom... let me... sleep a little... ouch... what is this bed...? It's sharp... and prickly... ah... must've fallen asleep on the ground... again...

_Master, get up! Quick!_

Aaahhh...! Shut up...! Can't you see I'm having... egh... a very bad… hangover...? ...Come to think of it... what did I drink last night…?

_YUUTO! STOP YOUR DAYDREAMING AND GET UP!_

Alright! Alright! I'll wake up... egh... I still got a headache... seriously... I drank too much... last night... araa...?

...Wait a minute... how did I get a hangover...? I can't... get drunk anymore... Wisdom never let me get drunk... so-... heh...? What... is that... a gundam...? No... two... gundams... meh... must be imagining things... egh... my ears are ringing... and this... sticky thing... on my head... red... ah... this is... ha...? Blood...?

WHIIIRRR

That sound... a spinning electric rotary... a gun barrel...?

...!

Oh shit!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

That was close! Three huge ammo shells just hit the place where I staggered up two seconds ago. If I didn't wake up in time, those shells would... well, I doubt it'll kill me right away, but it hurts oh so very bad. Like several of my bones here.

"Ergh, ouch... that hurt..."

_Finally awake? Are you okay, Yuuto?_

"I said 'ouch', didn't I?"

I tried to make some sarcastic joke and some wry smile, but it fell flat when I realized how tense Wisdom is.

"So, Wisdom, what just happened?"

_The TSF opened fire. The control room was destroyed. It collapsed down into the BETA Reactor Chamber. 14 25mm shells hit you straight in the torso; four hit you directly in the head._

I see, that explained the hangover. Now that I looked carefully the debris that I was sleeping on and the very same they shot at earlier must be the control room. Or what's left of it. And right in the middle of this is the BETA Core Reactor... wow, it reminds me like the Ether Converter in Phantasmagoria, only a lot more round and circular than the Converter cube. Oh, and there's the two TSFs that shot me. They're hovering very eerily in front of me. Why aren't they shooting at me, now? Or better yet, why did they shoot me earlier? Oh, right. There was another person inside the control room.

"Wisdom, what happened to the girl...?"

Yeah, another big question. Why did that girl – Haruka-san – suddenly pushed me down? And as suggestive as it may sound, she had an unbelievable strength that no dying girl could ever have. Hell, she kinda overpowered me for a minute. Still, it's impossible in her condition to survive the fall.

_...She's right there..._

She lived?-! How did she survived the-... oh, holy hell.

She was there standing on the debris.

Her body was burned to a very serious degree of heat level. One of her foot was bent into a direction it's not supposed to. The skin on her face was partially torn off, revealing a white-colored bone from her cheek. She was half-naked with her uniform also terribly torn off, her right breast was clearly visible; again, as seductive and suggestive as it may sound, you won't be thinking how hot she is when you see a big gaping hole on her upper right chest, revealing her inside organs which include a heart (which was still beating), a broken lung, a section of vertebrae column and other human parts I care not to mention or advertently forgot its name. Trust me, that is not hot at all... unless, you're a necrophilia... which is definitely not one of my better fetishes.

Oh, and did I mention she was smiling at me? Well, she did. Normally, I'd put that smile in the category of a kind-hearted smile, but with her heavily deformed body... well, it's just plain creepy. Alright, mind conference, now:

Wisdom what the hell is going on? What's wrong with that girl? I thought you've been monitoring the minds of everyone I come in contact with for any signs of ill-intent.

_I did. I just didn't find any in that Haruka girl. I found her rather nice and selfless. In fact, one glimpse and you'll see that she actually developed a crush on you._

You mean before she changed into a walking corpse like that.

_I could always tell Aselia-sama on your "misadventures"._

Don't you dare! Wait, what "misadventures"? I never cheated her to anyone in my whole life! And why are you adding the suffix "–sama" to her?-! I'm your contractor and you never call me that!

_That just proves how dense you are. At any rate, it's clear that something is very wrong in this world._

**"No, not wrong, Wise Sword. Just... altered."**

Haruka-san with her kind/creepy smile quietly said as she approached me. By 'approach' I mean, limping instead of walking... have I ever mentioned how creepy it was? Well, it is. And did she just interrupted Wisdom in our mind conference?

"Oooookay, altered. Right."

I know I was trying hard to save her life before. But I'm not so naïve that I would treat her like she was the same Haruka-san from before. This one is obviously different. This one is obviously dangerous. Being confused on the turnouts of events and needlessly panic will just increase the chances of being killed or severely hurt in the process.

I learned that in a _really_ hard way.

"Okay, whoever or whatever you are. Care to elaborate? Oh, and did I ever mentioned I like you better when you're dying instead of when you're a walking corpse."

**"Ahahahaha…" **Okay, even that giggles creeps me out.** "I have heard about you, Master Sage. You are every single thing the rumor had said."**

"..."

Ah, so that's what this is all about.

There are only two kinds of people that calls me Sage. One is my fellow Eternal comrades that I'm not too close with, my good friends never liked calling me Sage. The other... was also my fellow Eternals... although this group always tried to kill me every time we met.

**"You wish me to elaborate, yes? And that, I shall. Let me introduce myself first. I am-"**

"-Save it. I'm not in the mood of hearing you out when it's clear you're just buying time."

**"Oh? Buying time?"** 'Haruka' smirked. **"Pardon me, Master Sage. I have no need of such trivialities. I am not the one in need of time. You are. I am doing you a service by giving you that time."**

At first, I didn't understand what she was talking about. But then I remembered that uncomfortable feeling that Wisdom had never sensed before. That feeling appeared again here... only a lot stronger... and more nauseating than before. I thought it was the BETA Hive. I realized now it was wrong.

"I see... that lingering feeling ever since I stepped into that troublesome world. It's a lure to this trap, isn't it?"

**"It is as you say. The unknown is always the best bait for the one that seeks knowledge." '**Haruka' politely nodded.** "This particular realm is a dimension I made based on one of the episode of Shirogane Takeru's loop using the compressed data within Kagami Sumika. 'The BETA Attack on Yokohama Base'… quite a marvelous stage, if I may add. I added little bits of my personal taste for your coming as a guest star."**

"Then what's with the dying melodrama before?" I asked. "You don't seem like the type to get into the act of a damsel in distress. The role of an evil empress suits you better, I think."

**"An evil empress?" **she frowned.** "I'll take that as an offence, Master Sage"**

"That's because it is." I stated bluntly.

The expression of 'Haruka' changed into something near similar to a pout. But with the torn jugular and her burnt skin, it looked as if a skeleton is grinning at you.

**"You'll pardon me if I say that I quite like the role of a damsel. Unfortunately, in order to trick The Wise Sword, it is imperative that the real personality of the real actors to play their parts. Like 'Suzumiya Haruka' here, 'Mitsuki Hayase' and 'Shirogane Takeru' in that TSF over there, and other related actors to play their roles in this wonderful play. Well, they are just playing for the prologue. From here on out, I'll be directing their roles 'directly'."**

Theatre? Play their roles? Haaa... another crazy one, this is gonna be tough. _Trick... eh? _Oh, crap, Wisdom sounded really pissed._ What are you trying to achieve with this trick? Your surprise attack failed. Yuuto is still alive._

**"Surprise attack? Wise Sword, are you referring to the shots TSFs fired earlier? Please, those are mere fireworks for the opening act. We can't have the guest star leaving the stage when it's just the prologue, can't we?"**

"Fine, you're crazy, I get it. What are you doing here in the first place? The Matriarch hasn't manifested yet. Do you really want to take me on without her? If you do, then I stand corrected. You are crazy."

**"Perhaps I am. I am not on the Matriarch's side myself. I don't belong to the Law or Chaos. I consider myself freelance."**

"Oh? That should be interesting. A freelance Eternal... that's something, alright. Then again you're not exactly Eternal yourself, are you? I can sense it. You're imperfect."

**"...I see... you really are dangerous..."**

"What, you just figure that out now? You really ought to do your homework, miss."

**"Trust me, Master Sage. I already have. Aside from that, I have no wish to pick a fight with a man such as yourself." **Then she added with a mischievous tone.** "If I can avoid it."**

"Okay, 'avoid' it? After dragging me into this hellhole? Wow, you're hilarious. That previous 'fireworks' of yours and the bump on my head, INSISTED that I pick a fight with you. One more of that, and you'll be forced to 'avoid' my fireballs... if you can."

**"Oh, I am not one to underestimate another's strength. That force of attack was nothing you couldn't handle. Regardless, this is my warning, Master Sage, you have to understand the gravity of the situation within this world."**

"And would you please... please, kindly explain to me, what gravity of the situation compels you to trap me in this absurd dimension? And is it wrong of me if I make a guess that you were also the one behind the Casualty Conductor?"

**"No, I am not!"** She said half-screaming. Which mildly surprised me, since I thought she was very composed on dealing with people. **"The whole Casualty Conductor incident was caused wholly by the people of this world and Kagami Sumika. I have nothing to do with that!"**

"Alright, alright, jeez. No need to get emotional." And since you do get emotional, you must've had something to do with it. Wow, this one is surprisingly easy to read.

**"At any rate, heed my warning, Master Sage."** She said as she glared at me. **"Do not interfere with this world. You have no idea how important this one world is to the balance of the universe."**

"That's where you're wrong, lady." I said with a wry smile. "The balance of the world is my jurisdiction, so not interfering would be impossible. Well, actually I can, but I'm not in the mood for another one of Tokimi's lecture."

**"I see."** 'Haruka' sighed. **"And here I even bothered to warn you. I was hoping the guest star would not be too picky about the role I picked out for him. However, it seems the plot have to go this way after all."**

That's when I noticed that the two TSFs began pointing their weapons at me. Several BETA creatures also began to crawl out from one of the holes. As if that's not enough, I also spotted several snipers emerging from the platforms above the BETA Core. Some of the soldiers wielded anti-tank missiles, HMGs and other heavy infantry weapons. Their total numbers must be... two thousands...? And most of them are the aliens. Whoa, talk about extreme. She did say this was her realm. So it's not impossible for her to create her own private army.

"..."

I don't like this. She should know the strength of a High Eternal like me. And yet she only sent two thousand soldiers? Is she underestimating me? Well, she could send over a million or more, even I can't deal with that many, but that's biting off more than she could chew, her mana level isn't high enough for that. Considering her overall strength from what I can sense though, she had enough juice to summon at least a few hundred thousand or more... and yet she only sends out two thousands? (...) Hm? Wisdom? Use a mana encryption if you want to talk. We don't want her eavesdropping again.

_Alright, we're on the clear. I'm sure you noticed, Yuuto. She's saving her mana for something. Be careful. From our earlier conversation, it's safe to say that she's the cold, cunning and manipulative type. And that 'prologue' she was talking about; the BETA attack, the first ghost we met, that girl Suzumiya Haruka... something smells fishy. Anyway, she is definitely planning something, I can't figure out her game though._

I noticed. For now, we'll try to fish that bastard out of whatever holes it's hiding. Target that girl 'Haruka', she's the main host so we can track it down from her. Wisdom, just in case, prepare to release the limiter. 25%. This is just a made up World, so there's no effect on the real universes if something were to happen here. We'll destroy this world inside out the moment something goes wrong.

_Understood._

Meanwhile, 'Haruka' sighed once again as her army took their positions surrounding me.

**"Alas, it seems the stage must be covered in blood once again... don't say I didn't warn you, Master Sage."**

"Well, here we go again."


	5. One Man Hell

**A Scene from One of the Many Stages of Tragedy. The Purgatory of Fate. _One Man Hell._**

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

_BETA aliens. 57 of them!_

"I see 'em!"

There's a big red one, white one with trunk and white one with big head resembling a human. A whole crowd of them was chasing after me. It's hard being so popular.

Right, so it's the red ones first? Okay, first order of business, cut the legs of the nearest red one (Slash!) when it fell, jam a sword into its mouth. Four big heads white one charged with their fists hanging on. Their grips are strong, I can tell. But I'm stronger. When one of it is close enough, catch one of its arm midair (Grip!), Use its own force in his arm to throw off its body balance and threw it to its other three companions (Thud!). The red one on my left moved in closer, opening its jaw. Is it trying to eat me...? Bad move, buddy. Use speed to my advantage and crush its teeth with a haymaker (Smack!). Stagger it with a roundhouse kick (Wham!) and finish with a nice stomp on its head (Splatter!).

Good, I think I got their patterns figured out. When dealing with the red ones, avoid their bites, cut their legs or stun or stagger it first, then finish it. When there's a horde of red ones, throw one of them into the group, preferably if it was thrown down-low so it can hit their legs, that's the key to stop the whole group on their spot, the red ones are big so they'd have harder times to get back on their feet after the support on their legs faltered and fell. After that, pick them off one at a time. When it's the white one that has an arm on its trunk and surprisingly quick, observe its movements and counter its attacks. When there's a horde of them, use Adrenaline Rush to outmaneuver them and beat them in their own game. When it's the white one with big head... well, no tricks necessary, just beat them 'till they die. Seems I can handle the BETA aliens with no problem.

The thing is... this army isn't just consisted of the BETA.

It's a pain in the ass when the soldiers also joined the fray. When a horde of BETA was charging at me, the assault rifle fire and HMG is making it hard to focus my melee. When I was constructing a spell to finish them all in one go, the snipers with their anti-material rifles kept punching me in the face or chest, making it hard to chant a spell. When some BETA managed to surrounded me to a corner, they launched a missile at me. When I tried to target the soldiers, the BETA suddenly came out of nowhere, giving the soldiers time to retreat and regroup. It's clear the military soldiers acted as support, while the BETA became the vanguard. Damn that girl.

Of course, the biggest trouble was the two TSFs.

They're big and fast, which is the worst combination there is, and they shoots, which makes the combination a lot worse than it already has. Oh, and they can fly... err, hover around, which is just so damn cool and awesome... if it's not trying to kill me. Normally, standard textbook on how to deal with that kind is with a medium-to-long range destruction magic, maybe some simple Fireballs or Arc Flare. Even 'Haste' that increases speed and agility would be enough to outrun them, but I'm not too keen on wasting mana right now. Not with that Drama Queen running the show... heh, Drama Queen, eh? I guess I'll call her that. She's up to something and until I found out what it is every bits of mana is unexpendable. So for now, its strict low-class spell and melee fight. If it's not for that, I would have casted Apocalypse and end this all in one go.

This brings us to the present, where I retreated (with a very difficult effort, considering my own restrictions) into a maintenance area of some kind, somewhere on the east side of the BETA Core. This place isn't big enough for the TSF to allow passage, but the BETA aliens and the soldiers can easily get in.

Heheh... not that they'll ever get out.

Despite its small entrance, it's a pretty wide area and there's a lot of cover and obstacle which is perfect for guerrilla warfare. I should avoid the TSFs for now and deal with the others first.

Yup, back to the killing. Another slash into its head, another cut on their limbs aaaannd... we're done. All 57 dead.

Wisdom, have you been keeping count on how many we killed?

_Yes, 817 dead. 1391 left._

817? The battle already progressed for 15 minutes and I only killed 817?

Damn, this is one hell of an army. They're good, I'll give them that.

It won't take long for the rest of them to launch their next attack. I should get to-(BAM!) What was that?-!

_Yuuto! Foreign heat signatures, 16 of them!_

"Heat signatures? What kind of heat signatu-(Bzzt!) Gaahhh!"

What the... hell?-! Something extremely hot just hit me! Was that... lasers?

_Master! On your right! 4 o'clock!_

Geh! There are holes in the maintenance walls... and here I thought these walls were made with titanium alloy, was it caused by those lasers? And beyond those holes is a platform filled with green aliens with two big eyes... heh, I see. Those green aliens... are they the Laser-class everyone's been talking about?

_The heat signatures are coming back! They're firing!_

"Ah, damn it!"

(BOOM!)

That was way too close for comfort! Those laser shots packs one hell of a punch. That last hit caused quite a damage... plus it pierces through any kinds of cover I found and I can't keep dodging like that. Man, talk about a nuisance. At this rate, holding back is not much of an option.

Now then, how should I get out of this predicament with the least amount of mana possible?

* * *

The battle was devastating to say the least.

From an normal outsider's point of view, it would have looked like a single boy with a strange shining sword, marches against an army of hell consisted of expressionless soldiers and alien monsters that were supposed to be mankind's enemy.

The boy was heavily overwhelmed. Outgunned, outnumbered and outmaneuvered. But he persisted, he stood strong and he survived even the greatest of missile blasts and the worst of the monster's bites, and most importantly, with his extraordinary skills and his strange abilities, he laid waste to the floor an uncountable number of corpses. Both monsters... and humans. An entire area was so thick-filled with his victims that the entire floor looked like it was made out of corpses and blood. He showed no mercy even against his fellow man and ruthlessly slaughtered without any regards or conscience. It was as if the boy was a demon of destruction and an even worse monster than the BETA itself.

That was what it would look like to the outsiders that know nothing of his 'World'.

The boy himself actually possesses a noble creed, "Do not be accustomed to killing. Each life is important. Solve every problem without carelessly harming the lives of others more than it needs. Killing is only allowed as a last ditch resort or against wild or mindless monsters."

What he was doing seemed like it was breaking that creed, but is that really true?

Are those soldiers really alive?

The soldiers he fought against were not normal themselves. When their friends were killed, they showed ultimately no expression. When the boy tore their limbs, stabbed them, shot them in their vital spots or when they reached their deaths, they showed no expression of pain. Even when the boy showed his strange skills and almost magical abilities that would made every man gawking in awe, they were still emotionless.

They were not alive as a human. They were something created by the power of something beyond any mortals to serve it forever.

A life as a puppet, a life as a marinade, a life as a pawn... those cannot be considered what life really is. Those soldiers are never truly alive.

And thus, the boy put them into the category of 'mindless monsters'.

Hack and slash. Suppressing fire. Feral bites. Smokescreen. Riposte. Swarm tactics. Flash Rod. Cover fire and flank. Guerilla warfare. Ambush and stealth. Heavy sword. Barrier. Laser-class shots.

It was a mixture of tactics, sword skills, magic, military science and feral instinct. With the boy gaining an upper hand against the entire army, although he does not came out of it totally unscathed, with several bruises and bleedings caused by dozens of explosives, impact of high-caliber bullets and the ferocity of the BETA aliens and their Laser-class. Nothing too serious, though. For him, it's all just a scratch.

The battle that rages on looked like it was a battle between the boy and these 'mindless monsters'.

Again, that was what it would look like to the outsiders that know nothing of his 'world'.

In truth, it was a battle between two similar beings. A deathly and terrible battle that no mere mortals should ever interfere, less it caught them into a fate worse than death.

One uses pawns and controls their actions behind the scenes and mixes it together with trickery and cunning tactics making her a deathly opponent.

One plunges directly into the field, fighting with intense amount of concentration, perception and techniques to achieve the maximum amount of destruction with the minimum amount of strength.

It lasted throughout the entire 8 sections of Floor B-33 and almost half of Level B-29 to B-32 was destroyed in the process.

It has been 34 minutes 49 seconds ever since the battle started.

Almost all the army pawns have been killed, and yet the battle still rages on.

Rather than ending, this battle has just reached its climax.

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

Huff... that's the last of them... I think.

_This is strange, She sent only 2208 worth of soldiers against us. I expected she would summon reinforcements given the opportunity._

But she didn't, which only adds to my uneasiness. What is she thinking?

_We are obviously in a disadvantage. We might be more powerful but she definitely holds all the cards._

Right, I know. We can't figure out her objective and her army was perfectly organized. Even if we beat them all, I can't find any satisfaction in it. They were not deployed to defeat us. They were used to delay our movements and waste our mana as much as possible.

_Hmm... maybe she was planning to drop our mana supply as much as she can?_

Nah, that's pointless, isn't it? We had 3000 times enough mana to destroy half the universe in our reserves. If we ran out of mana, we can just summon more using our reserves in the limiter. This isn't part of the normal universe so disrupting or destroying it would be okay.

_Maybe so... but be very careful, Master. There is something sinister in that Eternal._

Well, her grotesque getup was kind of a give-away doesn't it? Besides, I'm still on Power Saver here, so for this fight mana's not a problem. Anyway, we dealt with the small fries. That leaves the two TSFs in the BETA Reactor Chamber in B-33, which is two floors below us... they're guarding that host 'Haruka' too, right?

_Yes, but do not think for a second that she or the TSFs would go down without a fight._

I expect nothing less.

* * *

**(Suzumiya Haruka?)**

**The 1st casualty of the battle was a Tank-class, the first Tank-class to ever exist in that world.**

He cut its two right legs, staggered it, and jammed his sword through its mouth. It became his standard procedure.

**The 2nd casualty was Hikimori Kagawa, A 37 years old MP with a standard assault rifle and a problem with his fiancée. Pretty normal human. He did save Koubuin Yuuhi's life by arresting an assassin for speeding and possession of illegal arms back in his work as a law enforcer. Too bad he would never realize it.**

He ripped off his rifle and snapped his neck.

**The 8th casualty was a Venator. The same one that killed Jinguuji Marimo.**

He cut down both of its legs and when it fell on the ground, he smashed its head.

**The 27th casualty was Kirisaki Masato, the MP that first 'welcomed' Shirogane Takeru in the gate of Yokohama Base. He was carrying a missile launcher.**

He caught his missile and sent it back to him and his six other friends.

**The124th casualty was the Warrior-class with the most human kills compared to other Warriors. It was eliminated with several others of its kind by an Eishi of the East German 666th Schwarzesmarken, Theodore Eberbach.**

It died alongside 14 others, when a quick slash of Iai sword mowed through all of them in less than one second.

**The 667th casualty was another Venator. That one killed a young soldier named Yamamoto in Yukon Base and was killed by Takamura Yui.**

Its death isn't worth mentioning, he just sliced through it like usual. No tricks. No finesse.

**The 841th casualty was a sniper named James Dunn. He decided to join the UN military because of his encounter with Major Alfred Walken.**

He blinded him with 'Tiger Flash' spell and stabbed him in the heart.

**The 1079th casualty was a Laser-class. It killed Kashiwagi Haruko in the Sadogashima Invasion and in another stage, it killed Mitsuki Hayase in Operation Babylon.**

He blocked its laser with his sword and bashed its eyeballs into the ground.

**The 1374th casualty was a Warrior-class. It was killed by Silvio Orlandi after he went on rampage, seeing so many refugees killed in Africa.**

He took an assault rifle from one of the dead soldier. Seeing the empty magazine, he used mana bullets to fill the clips. With higher penetrating power than normal bullets, he began firing shots at the Warrior and the rest of the horde behind it.

**The 2013th casualty was Masaru Kinichi. In one stage, he was a sniper and one of the rebels that started a coup in Japan under Sagiri Naoya. In another stage, He was an Eishi that saw all of his friends died during the French-Canadian War and Operation Babylon. After that, he went mad and resorted to cannibalism in the Salt Desert when he encountered Tatsunami Hibiki and his group of survivors.**

He was avoiding a Laser-class when Masaru suddenly appeared. With grenades and explosives strapped on his chest, he launched a suicide attack on him. Only to fail, when he pulled the pin of a grenade on his chest and threw him into the ground, immediately resulting in a blast and his death.

...

...

...

If only you know, Master Sage. If only you know.

Every single one of them was a character that plays a part in the grand plot of this play. A side-cast that people watching the show would never notice.

But they... they are the key. The key to my existence.

This existence of me that has been silently interfering with this world for my own selfish reason.

Do you know, Master Sage?

Shirogane Takeru crossed the path between worlds many times. There was a time when his spectral soul journeyed into another world in his dreams but that hardly counts.

Once, he was on a mission to recover precious documents of equations.

The other, was the time he ran away from the despair that painted this world.

Its resulting resonance was what attracted you here.

Of course, once or twice of a dissonance won't catch the attention of a High Eternal such as yourself.

That was why a new loop has been created.

A loop that restarted itself the moment Kagami Sumika died.

And it worked. You caught wind of the abnormality.

It brought you into this world and the damage it has caused to others.

So in a sense, it was Shirogane who brought you here.

Just as I planned it to be.

...

...

...

This world brimming with tragedies.

The tragedies were caused by the BETAs and their own fellow men that turned on each other in desperation.

But those are not the real threats.

The threat was not the BETA or the desperate men, but the pain and despair they have brought into this world.

It affected the universe more than anyone in our 'world' could ever imagine.

If you do realize what is at stake here... then what will you do, I wonder?

Will your role ended here in this desolate world and disappear from the stage forever?

Will you end the play once and for all, and tear down the theater?

Will you take on the role of a main star that changes the course of the play?

Or will you...

...

...

...

Heh, no use in speculating.

Even I get bored on watching the same play over and over again.

Just lying around and doing nothing but giving orders behind the lines all the while being guarded by two TSFs is also boring in itself. But this is an important role, and no matter how boring it is, anyone has to play their parts.

As I pondered those thoughts while relaxing on top of the BETA Core, someone came into this chamber. Without any petty tricks or ambushes he casually walked to the chamber through the front, looking all confident. Naturally, the two actors in their TSFs readied their guns.

I smiled into the boy as he moved closer into the BETA Core.

"Now then, it's time for the next time part of this play to begin. Don't you think so, Master Sage?"

"Whatever, hurry up and get this done. I need some breakfast."

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

That Eternal was sitting leisurely on top of the BETA Core like it was her own personal throne.

"I see you had time to dress up. It's a rather nice change."

"An actress on stage has to make herself presentable for the audience, don't you agree?"

Unlike before when the body she was hosting looked practically like a walking dead... a very hot, naked, walking- Geh! Anyway! Unlike before, the body of 'Suzumiya Haruka' had recovered from its previous state. The injuries were almost non-existent, and the burns and scorch marks that covered her entire skin have been replaced with a pure-white complexion that also seemed unnatural for a military girl could have. Even her previously burnt and disheveled hazel hair looked unnaturally smooth and silky. It seems like she was using the sweet-toned voice of Suzumiya Haruka instead of her grizzly old-lady voice like before. And instead of a military uniform, her outfit changed into a white one-piece dress that suited her beautiful appearance.

Simply put, the Eternal, I nicknamed 'Drama Queen' possessing 'Suzumiya Haruka' was gorgeous.

...Ah, crap. I think this is why Aselia kept throwing that frightening glances on me when encountering a bishoujo on the job. Fortunately, Aselia is not with me at the moment, but why does it make me feel... guilty, even though I never did anything so preposterous like cheating? Is this how a husband would feel when he saw a beautiful woman in the middle of an overseas job away from his wife? Man, long-distance relationship is harder than I thought.

"Why are you so quite all of a sudden? Could it be you're taken aback by my beauty?"

"To be fair, that's not your body. You've only taken the body of a poor dying girl who just happened to have a pretty face."

"Araa?" Geh, why is she smirking all of a sudden? "You don't have to be so shy, you know~ if you want, I will even let you see it~"

"SEE WHAT? WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU ALLOWING ME TO SEE?-! STOP TOYING WITH A MAN'S HEART, DAMN IT! IT'S NOT FAIR WHEN YOU HAVE A GLAMOROUS FEATURE LIKE THAT!"

"Eh, such a shame." She sighed... damn it! Why am I feeling like a deadbeat loser?-! "Well, if you have no interest in side-tracking romance, let's get back to the main plot, shall we?"

"Oi, oi, oi! What do you mean with a side-tracking rom-(BAM!BAM!BAM!) Gaahh! Don't open fire all of a sudden!"

I know it looks cool in the movies, but cutting down 10 high-speed 45mm bullets from two high-tech machines like TSF with an 1800-2000 rpm rate of fire in the span of thirty seconds while running to dodge the other hundreds of bullets is not as easy as it sounds. Well, they shot way more than 10 bullets, but only those ten are of any threat since the others missed me by a very small margin and blew up the concrete floor around me. The only reason those bullets missed were because of the recoil of the gun and the speed and small size of their target, namely me.

It looks to me those guns are designed to destroy bigger targets and relied on the explosive impact and shrapnel pieces to destroy smaller targets. Not that it was a problem; my unnatural body can treat this level of explosive as a gentle breeze. The real problem was the fact that they can shoot 10 rounds directly into me even when I'm running, that's the same level of difficulty like getting 10 headshots from moving target with a missile launcher. Man, those two have some very scary accuracy. Well, granted, it was a repeating missile launcher.

"As expected of the Master Sage." said the Drama Queen as she motioned the two TSFs to cease fire. "It seems even if the two TSFs fire continuously for the next 17 days, none of them would manage to get a clean hit. I will have to change tactics."

"17 days?" I responded with a slightly annoyed face as I stopped running and ready my sword. "Don't tell me you're one of that genius types that can predict what happen in the future using perfect observation skill and perfect logical deduction."

"Hm... something like that. It's one of the main requirements of being a director after all."

"A director? Of what? You're making a movie?"

"In a way, I am making one." She said with a smile. "Although I much prefer to call it a theater than a movie. I can't say 'cut' to stop the casts when they screwed up a scene and sometimes they made improvisations on their own without my approval." She grinned devilishly. "With various mixed results."

"...Most of them don't have a very good ending, do they...?"

"Some stories don't have a good ending. But some of them are very enjoyable that people won't stop watching it even if they know how it ends. Well, I'll leave it to your imagination on what happened to those plays. Now, let me see how you handle a TSF in close combat."

"A TSF in what?"

Before I could get an answer, however, one of the TSF charged at me with an engine flame roaring from its legs. Those must be a booster of some kind. And that thing it's drawing from its shoulder is... a dagger? And a big one at that!

"Oh, that's just not fair!"

I rolled sideway just in time as the blade cut through the air where my head was located several milliseconds ago. I know that blade doesn't have any magical power but damn! The force of that swing is just as powerful like an Eternity Sword. The wonders of science will never cease I guess.

From that stance... that guy is getting ready for his next attack. Heh, but with that force and strength, it's only equal to a low-rank Sword. I've taken down those guys twenty times a week. Let me show you how I deal with that!

(CLANG!)

* * *

Metallic sound of steel and small yellow sparks appeared where the two swords collide in great speed. It happened as the TSF launched a vicious downward strike, with added bonus of force from its boosters. And Yuuto cleanly blocked it with his sword.

Sure enough, it was a strange sight to behold.

A huge 3 meters long dagger was blocked only by a 95 cm longsword held casually with one hand. They both crossed each other and immediately entered a deadlock, one trying to overpower the other.

The difference in size was so overwhelming and yet the boy stood his ground with the concrete floor cracking around his feet. Since he achieved a deadlock with the machine 10x his normal size, he must have a ridiculous physical ability that can rival a monster. No, he might as well be a monster in every sense of word.

Watching that scene, anyone would have their mouths agape and widened their eyes in surprise. However, the two participants of this battle was clearly not a part of that 'anyone' as they showed no signs of surprise from it. As previously mentioned, the participant was not Takamine Yuuto and the TSF pilots (as Yuuto referred them to, as he was not familiar on the terms of Eishi). It was a fight between Takamine Yuuto and the mysterious Eternal.

Yuuto clicked his tongue when he realized that the TSF was stronger than he had expected (although he had already given the pilots a handicap by using only one hand to hold the sword). Meanwhile the mysterious Eternal dwelling inside Haruka stifled a small laugh as she watch the spectacle happening before her eyes.

The TSF broke the deadlock by pulling backwards and firing another round of shots into Yuuto. However, unlike before when he deflected the bullets with his reflexes, Yuuto reacted by raising his right hand into the front, the direction of the TSF, while chanting some analogous words that formed a spell. It formed a bright and solid particle from his palm, shaped in wide circle and looked very similarly to a large tortoise shield. The bullets that hit the particles were mysteriously incinerated, ensuring no harm comes into the caster.

"Master Sage, you have absolutely no right on saying what's fair." 'Haruka' added a comment from the side, looking absolutely amused. "Oh, and don't forget about the actress there."

She was referring at the other TSF charging at Yuuto from the left side with a dagger on its grip. Without even glancing left, Yuuto quickly sheathed his sword and pointed his left arm into the direction of the surprise attacker and chanted the same analogous words. This time the same bright particles forming a large tortoise shield appeared from his left palm. With a thunderous crash, the TSF stopped in its track as its dagger was unable to pierce the mysterious shield.

"Mind Shields?" 'Haruka' frowned. "I never thought you were one to use such techniques."

"Sure, its low ranked. But if a High Eternal like me uses it, the defense power will increase tenfold." Yuuto grinned as he raised the shield from his left hand to deflect a horizontal strike from the TSF that surprised attacked him and he gripped the shield from his right hand to stop the first TSF in his melee assault when it stopped its barrage.

"Plus, it doesn't waste that much of a mana."

"A cost-effective measure, is it?" For some reason, 'Haruka' showed a twisted smile. "Now this is interesting. You realized I was trying to drain your mana."

"Wasn't it a bit obvious?" Yuuto spat out annoyingly.

He spoke quite casually despite having to block a huge dagger swinging in high speed with his sword and narrowly dodge the swing of another dagger with an acrobatic back flip.

"Why won't you just hurry up and finish them off?" 'Haruka' asked. The TSFs protecting her were gradually cornered by the huge difference in strength (despite Yuuto's small size in comparison to the huge machines) and her opponent's magic-like skills but she still spoke cheerfully like it was none of her business. "Some simple spells will do. A simple Fireball would do the trick. That one doesn't cost too much. You could finish them off and cut me down in an instant."

"And trigger the traps you set?" Yuuto grinned as he managed to defend against a blow from a TSF with his right shield and quickly countered by cutting off its steel arm with his sword, the TSF pilot, a copy of Shirogane, realized his disadvantage and quickly retreated by using its boosters to flew backwards, away from Yuuto. "What, do you think I'm stupid? I don't know what kind of trap it is, but inside these two TSFs and that BETA Core, there's a small fluctuation of mana flowing around. Those mana acted as a trigger of some sort right?"

"Hooo... so you noticed. And may I ask how did you know about it? This fashion of using mana as a trigger isn't exactly popular among our kind."

"Hm, don't underestimate me. Even if it's the first time I've seen it, this types of tricks won't work on me."

_To hell it's not. Last time I've seen this type of traps, I was swallowed up in what was literally a nuclear explosion. And to top it off, the one that came up with this ridiculous idea was a normal human that happened to be a dictator that led an entire nation with knowledge of our 'World'. Seriously, that type of people is a pain in the ass to handle. _Was what Yuuto thought deep inside as he landed a clean punch into a leg of the TSF, cleanly breaching its outer hull like a paper, and ripped the cables inside to mess with its systems. Still, the TSF pilot (which was most likely a blue-haired girl as what Wisdom had sensed) was persistent enough as she used the booster from another leg to misbalance Yuuto and retreated quickly while firing another barrage. Of course, Yuuto dealt with those with no trouble.

None of the two TSFs were able to inflict a single clean hit on Yuuto. Rather, it was clear that their opponent was holding back. However, their master, the one that possesses the body of Suzumiya Haruka showed no concerns and still smiled beautifully.

_Of course, she still had a trump card. _Yuuto clicked his tongue for the umpteenth time because this type of opponent that manages things from behind the scene was the type he really hated.

_Well, I'm not one to talk, after all Eternals are this type of beings. The ones that never existed but secretly manipulate the fate of the ones that exists. That's the type of despicable beings we are._

The trick he did in Yokohama Base was a good example. At one point, manipulating the minds of the higher ups of the Base using [Logic Distortion] was unacceptable. But on the other hand, it was a necessary move to ensure the people of this world to remain oblivious to his 'world'. Simply put, it was a moral grey area for Yuuto. The one that first taught this to Yuuto was his fellow comrade-in-arms that always wear shrine maiden outfit and secretly possess an unbearably lazy attitude despite always showing off the composure of an 'exquisite, noble, feminine and basically every other character of a Yamato Nadeshiko'-like aura in public.

_Our 'World' is an endless war where in every single battle lies the fate of countless worlds. It is inevitable that other unrelated people would eventually get caught in the middle. If so, then it is better to gain the support of those unrelated people rather than leaving them to their fate. _That was what she responded with when Yuuto asked her the reason of why she manipulated the mind of a queen in a certain world and lend them her army.

Granted, back then Yuuto was just a child. An inexperienced boy that pretended to know everything about the world just because he was suffering a little and lost his everyday life. The queen he was referring to was an old friend of his, the daughter of a king that protected his little sister. That's why he was mad when he realized her mind had been manipulated by that woman.

But now, after enduring several other hardships of his own, he started to realize how stupid he was.

_Back then, she had already forgotten her memory about me because of my transformation to an Eternal. And even though her entire world was at risk, as the queen of a nation, there is no way she would lend her entire army to three total strangers that just came in and barge into the palace, saying 'give us your army'. Saying yes to that would be totally ridiculous._

Yuuto secretly reminisced about his past even when cutting down fifty-seven bullets that came swatting into his way.

...That world, was where everything began.

_Heh, the past is the past. Anyway, even with that in mind, doing so is still a last resort. If possible I'd like to finish up every fight without involving the natural inhabitants of the worlds as much as possible._

Of course, his threat to Kouzuki Yuuko was also intended for that purpose. Although if that woman really possesses the same level of intellect like Youtia then she might figure out the subtle hints he left during their discussion.

_If that happens, then it's more work for me._ Yuuto sighed as he kept that in mind.

Meanwhile, back in current time, the two TSF pilots realized they couldn't land a direct hit with their 45mm rounds or CQC, they immediately switched into their 105 mm rounds which possess more significant impact and firepower. Even if he could deflect it or cut it down, the slightest friction was enough to cause an explosion. The two TSFs pilot might be planning on overpowering him with the explosion blast that was enough to level down an entire street or two.

However, even that round was rendered useless by Yuuto's quick movement as he quickly dodged left and right, even avoiding the impact radius which was supposedly much wider and faster than what any human could outrun. In the end, the repeated firing only caused wide amount of destruction on the structure of the Base and none of it affected their primary target. Their situation was quickly deteriorating as Yuuto's fast but powerful counter-attacks are slowly wearing them down.

The TSF has an advantage in their mobility and reach due to the booster units that offered the flying/hovering ability and their big stature compared to Yuuto, which was the reason why they lasted this long. Nevertheless, the fact that they were cornered by Yuuto doesn't change.

The two TSF pilots might be mindless puppets controlled by an Eternal but that doesn't stop them from possessing rational battle strategy. They realized they were going to lose, but they kept on fighting anyway. They kept on fighting without any fear of dying or regret.

That's because they don't have any of that to begin with.

They might possess their skill, knowledge and rationality, but they already lost their emotions. They already lost what humans would call as their 'souls'. The same goes with the soldiers Yuuto defeated several minutes ago.

_In other words, these two are just another puppets I have to destroy!_

CLANG!

A violent clash of steel caused a huge 3 meter dagger to split in half. Wielding his partner, the magnanimous longsword clad in light. Yuuto faced the TSF in front of him with a determined expression.

"Sorry about that, Shirogane-san."

As soon as he said that word, the cockpit of the TSF was engulfed in bright light. Followed by an explosion that destroyed the entire TSF.

"Aaaahh... he died. He was such an important actor too. Well, no matter!" She had lost one of her vanguard and yet she still maintained a bright lovely smile. "In the end, a copy is just a copy. It can't match the original player."

Yuuto's ear twitched lightly when he heard that.

Not because of her madness, he already knew she was insane. But more because he was intrigued by what she said.

"...So you're saying the real one is stronger than that...?"

"Of course they are. In terms of mental strength and reflexes, the difference are too great." Said 'Haruka' in a matter-of-fact manner and somewhat proud. "There is no force greater than the human heart, haven't you ever heard that phrase?"

"And here I thought I was fighting a lunatic, not a philosophical lunatic." Yuuto shook his head expressionlessly.

"...That's quite a rude." 'Haruka' pouted. "I'll let that girl teach you some manners."

The last remaining TSF pilot launched her attack.

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

CLANG!

Whoa! That was way too close. That blade would've cut off my head if I didn't deflect it a second late. Almost forgot there's another one.

But seriously, all jokes aside, these TSFs pack one hell of a punch, almost just as tough as a single spirit. And I'm pretty sure no Eternal ever interfered with this world... except for the one giggling on the side, watching my fight. Well, she might be interfering, but I don't think she was in any position to share her knowledge to any humans. So I can safely say these TSFs are the pure byproduct of mankind in this world, mostly influenced by their foreign invaders. It's amazing how limitless the possibilities on what people are capable of doing when they are pushed to a corner. Sadly, it's not always a good thing.

At any rate, I have to hurry and finish this one quick. The presence that Eternal is emitting is getting more and more sickening by the minute. It's nothing harmful, but the mana here makes this place similar like a waste basket in a polluted coast. I'd rather be out of this place sooner than later. It's taking my all just trying not to puke and I haven't had anything to eat since that synthetic curry dish in the canteen (...or was it PX? Ah, whatever). I know I don't need to eat, but come on! Eating is one of the many pleasures in life, turning into an extra dimensional being won't be enough to stop me from fawning over a food! I have to hurry up before I'm starting to puke out the last vestiges of my humanity.

Well, there is the option of going directly by attacking Suzumiya Haruka, but she's just another vessel for all I know. The real Eternal was using her just to see and communicate with me like a living video camera and I can't sense any trace of mana from her, so it's not possible for her to pull any kind of tricks that can harm me. Taking out the TSF first should be a priority, I'll figure out what to do with her next.

Problem is, my attack reach isn't good enough to catch up with the TSF maneuverability. If it was an ordinary maneuverability that involves quick steps on the ground than it's not a problem, but maneuverability while hovering around in the air? That's just tricky! And I can't do the same jump-and-dash trick like I did to Fake-Shirogane, once I took a stance to dash, the pilot immediately pulled to the side. This pilot is a very fast learner.

"Damn it! Quit flying around and get down here!" I shouted to my opponent.

"That is not an appropriate gesture to a lady."

I was too busy trying to predict the movement pattern and the behavior of the TSF from the damage I had done on its right leg and thrusters while still countering any attacks she made, but I still somehow found the time to retort to the one throwing some annoying side-comment.

"Hey, pretty girl over there on top of the creepy alien core watching from the side. Shut up already! Even when you're dying or when you're possessed, you never shut up, don't you!"

I mean, what are you? A baseball commentator? This is a fight to the death! Not a Tiger vs Giants match! ...Oh, wait. That's not a very good comparison since the both of them can be seen as one and the same.

"Haa, such a troubling guest star..." She sighed. Why are you sighing? I'm supposed to be the one sighing! "I wonder what will happen to the stage if this keeps on."

"Again with this 'stage'? What the hell are you, some theatrical maniac drama queen?-!"

I made another 'tch' sound as I clicked my tongue, accompanied with a loud 'CRACK' sound as I slammed down the [Mind Shield] in my left palm, which was normally used to absorb heavy impact, into the TSF right arm. I think the 'CRACK' sound was the joint starting to lose its nail hinges... Oh, wait, that sounded kinda ridiculous. Does a machine like that ever had something simplistic called nails on its hinges?-! Great, I just compared a huge alien killing machine into a bathroom doorknob. Bravo, Yuuto.

"Drama Queen, eh?" There she goes with that grin again. "Well, I suppose that'll suffice as a stage name. But from that look, you were probably thinking something stupid and out of the context."

"Hey! Knock it off! And stop second-guessing what I'm thinking!"

"You clearly have no sense in acting, Master Sage. Have you heard this? All the world's a stage. And all the men and women are merely players. They have their exits and their entrances..."

"...And one man in his time plays many parts and all that yadda yadda. Shakespeare, I know. You're a fan of his?"

"Of course not. I merely admire a human that possesses a similar way of thinking just like I am."

Gee, I don't know about that. From what it's worth, I think Shakespeare meant that platonically, not literally like you did. And I'm pretty sure he didn't have an army of freaks and monsters or the ability to create his own artificial world on a wimp. Aaahhh... I wanted to say that out loud, but my mouth is too busy chanting another [Mind Shield] spell to replace the one the TSF broke down before. Damn, these TSFs are tough. [Power Saver] mode barely held an advantage. Well, I still have the advantage, so no complaints there.

The big difference between our statures is also an advantage for me if I know how to use it. For example, TSF needs a lot more focus in order to target the small-sized me more accurately and it results in lower reaction speed. From what I see, a TSF doesn't need any accuracy when dealing with something smaller and weaker, they can manage with sheer power and force. The thing is, I'm smaller _and_ stronger, so you can imagine how that can be quite a predicament to the girl riding the TSF. Because of its bigger stature, the chances of my attacks to connect are very high. Although it's still very troublesome because of its high-mobility with a thruster that resembled an aircraft jet. Still, in this closed space, I can cope with that by running through walls and cornering it little by little. So anyone can guess how this fight turned out.

"Seems like 'Hayase Mitsuki' cannot hold out much longer..." I heard 'Haruka' murmured from the side.

Black spots and dents in the paintjob. Smoke coming out of its engines. A torn apart hull that revealed complicated circuitries. Small sparks emerging occasionally from the thrusters... wow, I have no idea about TSF machinery but even I can tell that thing is in a very bad shape. To even last this long, just how thick is the plating hulls of this TSF? Well, I can break it quite easily if I'm not in [Power Saver], but impressive for something purely manmade.

"It sure seems that way." I nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile the TSF launched another attack with its dagger, but its movements aren't as sharp as before so I easily deflected it and counter-attacked just as quick. I jumped and thrusted Wisdom into the TSF's upper left elbow, the left arm immediately separated from its main body and collapsed with a loud 'THUD' sound effect.

"Aren't you going to call her back?" I said. "If this continues I'll be forced to kill her you know."

"Are you seriously asking me that?" 'Haruka'- no, the Drama Queen, frowned, sounding irritated. Likely because she felt the stupidity of my question rather than seeing her minion cornered. "Why should I let an actress who has done rather well in her part to exit the stage when she hasn't completed her role yet?"

"Well, this kind of outrageous response was what I predicted it'd be..." I sighed exasperatedly.

Let's see. I already got her movement pattern figured out. Let's end this farce quick.

Once their opponent is in the open, they'll start their shooting spree, typical for a professional soldier.

First, pinpoint her bullet trajectories. Don't deflect it, dodge it all. Charge at the TSF, use the minimum amount of speed to reach her position fast enough while still maintaining enough focus to dodge the bullets.

Realizing disadvantage, she'll proceed to retreat by hovering in the air, using her thrusters and her high maneuverability while still shooting the rest of her bullets.

Mobility proves troublesome, but lack of movement control and the damage it sustain will reduce her base speed and accuracy of her shots.

Enclosed space provides maximum advantage by running through the walls. Her agility can be leveled quickly.

Once her greatest defense, mobility, is down, the rest is plain sword work.

Let's try it then.

* * *

In the end, nothing particularly noteworthy like a surprising comeback happened and it all went according to plan.

Yuuto's sword easily cut through the plate covering her cockpit like it was a slice of paper.

He stood from outside the cockpit, facing the girl that was revealed to be the pilot of the TSF that's been giving him company for the last 10 minutes.

From inside, in the pilot seat, the clear face of a girl can be seen. A young girl with her long, blue hair tied in ponytail.

From what the Drama Queen had said, her name was Mitsuki Hayase.

Facing him, she showed no immediate reaction on her face.

"..."

She simply pointed her pistol and fired a shot at Yuuto without wasting a single second.

Completely expressionless and without a single strand of emotion visible.

Yuuto could have handled the bullet as well, but he stopped and took it directly in his chest.

"..."

It doesn't even pierce his skin.

Yet, she continued emptying her gun even though she, herself, knew deep down how useless it is. After facing him, she should have known through her own common sense and logic how illogical this man is.

She ignored her mind and continues on firing.

That was the order she was given after all.

Just like Hayase, Yuuto was also expressionless. Although unlike her, it was mostly out of pity upon seeing her.

"...You bastard."

Yuuto, who had remained silent, started gritting his teeth.

Turning his back against Hayase, which kept on shooting him pointlessly, he faced against 'Suzumiya Haruka', who finally stepped down from the top of the BETA Core, walking down merrily into Yuuto and grinning happily seeing the expression on his face.

Disgust and contempt.

That was the two words appropriate to describe his expression.

"This is why I absolutely hate your types." Yuuto harshly said, silent anger visible on his eyes. "Instead of hiding behind fake ragdolls, why don't you just come out and show yourself?"

He was not referring to 'Suzumiya Haruka', he was referring to the one talking through her.

"And get myself killed? As interesting as that line of plot will be, I have a much more interesting idea in mind, so I have to decline. Thank you for the offer."

Crap, this girl is insane. Yuuto silently thought to himself.

That line she just said could easily be mistaken as a side joke of a villain facing a hero, but her expression imprinted through 'Suzumiya Haruka' genuinely meant every word of it.

She actually thought her own death is interesting, and she won't hesitate to do it for a second as long as it'll fulfill the requirement theatricality she loved so much.

And that other thing she said, a much more interesting idea she had said... that is not good, just the mere thought of it actually made Yuuto broke a sweat.

The Eternal talking through Suzumiya Haruka is weak and incomplete with only bits and pieces of her mana left. And yet she could be the most dangerous enemy he has yet to face.

"And besides, have you ever seen a director or a producer walks straight into a play? Nonsense, I tell you." She chirped joyfully. Then she turned her attention into Hayase, her clip was already empty, but her gun was still pointed into Yuuto. Despite the repeating sound of 'clicks' that showed the lack of ammunition, she still pulled the trigger of her pistol repeatedly, completely ignoring it was empty. Not a single emotion was showed, just like the soldiers from before.

However, the Drama Queen raised her brows seeing that.

"Ah, stop that silly thing, dear. You just look absolutely ridiculous. Completely unfit for one of my actress." 'Haruka' growled at Hayase like scolding a child, she wordlessly complied in response. Ignoring Yuuto that glanced at her curiously but still kept his guard up, The Drama Queen' walked closer and inspected her for a moment.

"On second thought, you still look ridiculous." She sighed after a moment. "Well, whatever, just get off my stage." The Drama Queen said as she gestured her hand to shoo her away.

That was all it takes.

A gush of blood flowed from all pores of Mitsuki Hayase's skin. Her body literally exploded from the inside out. Muscles and nerves were torn out, meat and flesh were squished out, all of them forming a pool of red on the ground. Traces of her skulls and bones were non-existent, probably disintegrated into numerous small pieces like scrap chalks, mixing in with the red color of blood.

Yuuto groaned inwardly, looking both disgusted and irritated. "Was that really necessary?" he asked.

"It was necessary." She answered simply. "She didn't quite live up to my expectation."

"Oh, I see." Yuuto nodded.

JUST HOW FUCKING TWISTED ARE YOU, YOU BASTARD!

That was what Yuuto was thinking in that precise moment, though the only outward sign he gave was an annoyed twitching of his left eyebrow and he refrained from throwing his fist into the girl's smiling face and destroy her head until it was completely unrecognizable. The only reason he didn't was because the girl Suzumiya Haruka in front of him was just a communicating vessel and his only link to the real person he wanted direct his fist at.

"Tell me something, Master Sage." The Drama Queen said, finally facing him. "What reason have you come into this world?"

Yuuto frowned. Talking any longer is useless and probably her attempt to buy some time, but he answered nonetheless. "To fix a mess someone made out of this world... I don't assume you have anything to do with it?"

"You are talking of Kagami Sumika, yes, that would make sense in a way." She muttered as she was deep in thought. "I merely don't think someone as powerful as you are would do something like this, I imagined Rogas would send someone more... inexperienced."

Yuuto groaned, so she knew about the Rules. This is just so unlucky.

A universe is like a gear, so several universes are like a machine with a whole set of gears.

And like every machine, there are times when the gears malfunctioned on its own.

There are three major reasons for that, sometimes it's because of the actions of the inhabitants. Other times, it's because of some faulty natural order. But MOST of the time, it happens because of the Eternals themselves, a world getting caught up in the War and subsequently destroyed was not entirely unheard of. The group of Eternals Yuuto belongs to have special rules regarding these 'broken gears'.

If it happened because of the first one, then an Eternal has no right to intervene. If the second one happened, it comes to an Eternal to fix it. If the third one happened... well... it's become a lot more complicated... what with all the politics, strategies and all.

The world Yuuto visited earlier definitely belongs to the first part. However, the one that happened in that particular world was a special case.

Usually if the gears were 'broken' because of the action of a person, like a certain girl inside the Yokohama base, then an Eternal like Yuuto has no right to intervene. However, the effects of the 'broken' gears were widespread into other worlds, like the summoning of Shirogane Takeru. He seemed like a normal and extremely unlucky man teleported into another world through some freaky universe loophole, but in truth it's a hell lot more complicated than that. That became the reason why Takamine Yuuto the Sage was drawn here.

Half of the reason, at least.

"So tell me, Master Sage. What did you do to get yourself in this ruin of a world?"

"Shut up... stop rubbing salt in my wounds please."

"Uh huh." She grinned. "Why don't you just act like the loser you are, and begin to explain to me why a high ranking Eternal like you got caught up in what your faction considered as the dirtiest of a wet work?"

Yes, that's right. For the faction Yuuto belong to, fixing the broken gears of a world is akin to a punishment duty. It's important, but it's still one of the lowest levels of a messy job and nobody likes to take part in it. It's like latrine duty for soldiers... with a world getting destroyed whenever you broke a plate.

The messy part of it comes from the fact that the Eternal has to enter an unstable world combined with extremely unstable inhabitants and comes face to face with the 'source that broke the gears' which can be a variety of reasons, all of which is usually even more extremely unstable than the rest of the world combined.

But the worst part was how the 'source' was revered by the inhabitants as an important being or construct or holy place or divine items or things along the lines of that. This is what happens most of the time since a 'source' is somehow so powerful it can affect a world in some way, of course there are people in that world that wouldn't want to let that kind of power go. One of the Eternal Yuuto had met before mentioned how she had to kill some ancient worm that the inhabitants of that world revered to as their savior god and had to proceed by killing her way through almost one over eight of the entire world population just to get out of the world.

Not the kind of work anyone in their right mind would want.

Yuuto thought he was lucky when he found out that the 'source' was just a girl exposed to harsh trauma and powerful energy, but getting trapped by a crazy and imperfect Eternal that was hiding in the world? Yuuto finally realized that luck was never on his side.

And last but not least, there is nothing that can be virtually gained through stabilizing the gears... other than the fact that the universe would be saved once more which was practically an everyday routine.

In a glance, it might be similar to the reason why they fight their enemies, to save and preserve the system of the world (that's how Yuuto simplified his miko-superior's long speech) but since it was unrelated to their mortal enemy that they've been fighting for so long, they came to view 'fixing the gears' as a mundane task for a grunt work. Personally, Yuuto thought their priorities might've been shifted with the constant fighting, but he agreed nonetheless that 'fixing the gears' is still a pain in the ass.

And now, for the reason why he was continuously thrown into these dirty jobs... he'd have to go through a flashback of what happened 73 years ago.

"Aaaaarrrgggghhhhh! Enough is enough! I'm not in the mood for a flashback of the biggest screw up in my life! Just hurry up and show yourself, you Drama Queen! Stop adding the burden of my work than it already has!" Yuuto yelled, half wailing in anguish.

"So you DID get shoved into this odd job." She laughed merrily. Oh, how I hate her. "Tell me Master Sage, how many worlds have you been sent into?"

"148 and counting- wait, why am I even telling you that?! Just get your ass down here and stop pulling out even more fakes!"

"...I think that line partially count as a sexual harassment. What would your girlfriend say if she heard that? Ah, you do have a girlfriend are you not?"

"Yes, I do and she'd probably won't say anything if she knows just how twisted you are." He grunted. "What? Are you trying to seduce me or something? If so, come down here in person and I'll give you my answer."

"Ooh, touché. But you won't get me that way Master Sage. Oh, I already put up a special conjuration for 'Suzumiya Haruka', so don't bother using her as a scrying vessel to find me. But then again..." She paused for a minute before she smiled brilliantly. "...Then again you already knew about that didn't you? That's why you didn't take any hostile action against 'Suzumiya Haruka'."

"..."

"Ahahaha! It's a bullseye, isn't it? For all your talk with Kouzuki-kun about destroying this entire world just for the sake of saving thousands other, you are still just a hypocrite that hesitates to kill a girl just because she looks a little bit pretty. Wait a minute..." She gasped dramatically. "That is also why you didn't use your straight-up brute force to end all of my troops in seconds. No, you opted to use more roundabout ways of skills and tactics instead. You weren't just trying to save up your energy, you were also trying to maintain the damage into this dimension to a minimum! You really are worried about this girl, aren't you?"

"..."

Not hearing any retort from the still expressionless boy, The Drama Queen laughed hysterically.

"Ahahahahahaha! Oh, this is hilarious! Ahahahahaha! This is borderline comical! An Eternal that hesitates to finish his job just to save a single girl?! Now THAT is a drama! That really is one hell of a good plot!"

"..."

Yuuto, still expressionless, stood still not responding to anything she said. The Drama Queen must have thought something was wrong with him because she stopped laughing and she suddenly shot a glare into him.

"Now this is not fun. I half-expected you to sliver in embarrassment a little. Such a poor reception is not amusing in the least."

"...If that was enough to make me embarrassed, then you should see what my girlfriend and that lazy-ass miko did to me. Compared to that, this is like watching a poor made, cheap-quality porn that can't even get me excited."

The face of 'Suzumiya Haruka' twitched a little, clearly showing a great deal of displeasure an enmity of the real person speaking through her face. Yuuto expected her to yell some unpleasant words or throw in a fit of rage.

On the contrary, she smiled.

A sweet and beautiful smile that Yuuto will never mistake as a kind hearted smile. Instead he understand that it was a sign of an impending stampede that most woman in his life possess when he stepped on a landmine. His reflexes accumulated from dozens of near-death combat experience and a lot more near-death 'women' experience (especially the miko-type) prompted him to roll backward in a hurry and drew Wisdom just as quick.

His instinct was absolutely right.

It was just in time before a pure white flash strike the ground where he was standing before. Leaving a huge crater that also wrecked the entire BETA Core Chamber and an even bigger impact blast that should have threw both figures off the ground... at least it should have, since Takamine Yuuto used his sword to somehow stem the incoming tide of blast and 'Suzumiya Haruka' mysteriously faded away in the ensuing explosion.

_Oh, shit. Why is it that I have a feeling that things are going to get far worse before I even have any idea of what the hell just happened?!_

**"That is very rude, Takamine-kun."**

The voice that mysteriously came out sounded the same like before, but now it was certainly different. It was not 'Suzumiya Haruka's calm and beautiful voice that also contained a certain hidden malice when possessed by the Drama Queen. It was also not the poisonous voice of an old lady that Yuuto safely assumed as the Drama Queen's real voice. This one was noticeably different. It was as if the malice she contained was instantly poured out into each and every letter she spoke. For Yuuto, it has proven one thing about the host's mental condition.

She was pissed. Utterly pissed. And Yuuto had only one logical respond as a male.

_...I stand corrected. I hate being right._

As soon as the cloud and dust dispersed from his view, the first thing that came into his mind was that 'Suzumiya Haruka' sudden disappearance from the view. The second thing was that the huge BETA Core (or at least a copy of it) has been utterly annihilated leaving a large pool of blood with a strange acrid smell, and several hunks of meat and flesh scattered about the ground. The third thing was that the entire base has been wonderfully destroyed and almost every man-made part was broken, revealing a glimmering shade of unworldly color that Yuuto quickly determined as something made by the BETA and as something Yuuto judged as oddly enticing.

**"That is more than simple rudeness. It is lese majeste. The crime of disgracing the royal arts of theatrics with your blatant comment can never be accepted!"**

"Okay, now, calm down, take it easy and-..."a huge burst of mana gathered in a spot quickly shut the Eternal up, something has been summoned in that false world. Something big. And obviously something extremely dangerous. "...Oh, who am I kidding, this is not going to end well is it?"

**"Regardless of your comment and disregard of the art, you are still a part of the casts**." A voice rang out in the air, it was the Drama Queen that had said it bitterly. **"I had originally planned this for the Epilogue..."**

A low growl appeared in the air, Yuuto doubted he could classify that noise as a growl. No, a BETA can growl, that thing is definitely worse. Yuuto instantly readied his sword but somehow he knew it won't be enough.

**"...But I think this is appropriate. Consider it a compensation for the show you insulted."**

It was not a BETA, however brief his fight was with them it was enough for him to understand their patterns. It was also not a simple monster, no living being, magical or not, could ever fill the air with dread this much. And it was certainly not a spirit or another low-rank Eternal.

None of it was as dangerous as this... **thing**.

Assessing on how much load of crap he had gotten himself into, Yuuto checked his back and quickly saw a small glistening glyphs of strange symbols written (or carved, in another sense of word) on his back. A quick advice from his Eternity Sword (which was delivered as loud as a scream) warned him that the glyph was apparently known as the Mark of the Prey, the name alone already signified its purpose as target paint.

_But when did she plant it? She didn't come into direct contact with me, unless she-... ah, damn it. That wounded Haruka girl in the control room. Of course._

Cursing his foolishness for falling to such a trick, Yuuto had no choice but to once again rely on his sword. After several heated inner-thought/mind council discussion, Wisdom finally relented on one solution on how they could survive.

"So this is her trump card, isn't it?" Yuuto said nervously, sweating wildly while wearing a wry, sardonic smile on his face. "How the hell did that granny never detected something this powerful before? More importantly, how in the fucking hell does something like this can ever exists in this mana wasteland of a world?!"

He and his partner had considered destroying this world and escape but in the process that **thing** will tear him to shreds. A single second is something he can't recklessly give.

Slowly but surely, Yuuto felt it approaching his location. He can't see it, but he can feel it. Like a hunter slowly approaching its prey.

A minute passed.

And then five.

And then ten.

And more.

And more.

And more.

And more.

And more.

And more.

And more.

And more.

And more.

Yet the Eternal hasn't drop an inch of his guard.

The moment he did, he'd be dead. That much he understands.

And then a gust of wind blew hard, signaling the start of the hunt.

As the creature materializes out of nowhere, Yuuto used what could be his last words to say the one thing that idiotically crossed his mind.

"This is SO not going to end well!"

* * *

**(Yashiro Kasumi) (?)**

I can hardly believe what I'm seeing.

What I couldn't believe was that I am now seeing a completely different world than the one I lived in.

All through the scanning of Kagami Sumika's mind.

This... this is insane. And yet somehow I knew this was reality.

What made me forced to acknowledge that this isn't a dream, was the boy.

Seeing what he did made me feel more insane than ever.

The boy I recognized before as the scary bogeyman in a puddle of blood and corpses.

The boy rescued a girl inside a room I recognized as the Reactor Control Room.

Two Shiranui fired into the room, causing the extended room to fall deep downstairs into the BETA Reactor Chamber along with the boy and the girl.

Said girl lived, but with a scary inhuman state and an even more scary sudden change in demeanor and thought pattern.

BETA forces emerge mysteriously, and were strangely accompanied by human soldiers who are just as much as scary as the BETA was.

The boy fought against the entire army, and in a scary, bloody battle he defeated- no, slaughtered the entire army.

The two Shiranui were the only ones left, and I was really scared when I found out Shirogane Takeru was one of them.

I was more scared when the boy used his strange powers to destroy the TSFs. And even more so when a light of pure energy decimated the entire ground level of the base.

But my fear pales in comparison to what the **thing** made me feel.

What... is that?

A man? No, it's impossible to call that monster a man.

A beast? No, no animals could ever be that monstrous, fast and ferocious.

A BETA? No, its form, shape and size in contrast were far too grotesque than any other BETA.

A new type of BETA? No, it was far too intelligent to be one.

This monster... No, I shouldn't call it that, that **thing** is... completely worse than a monster.

And yet... how? How is this possible?

How is that boy able to keep up with that thing?

This is unreal. This is definitely not real.

_"Deny all you want, girl. But this is reality, there is no changing that."_

-! Who are you?!

_"Hm, fascinating. Using the catalyst Kagami Sumika as a window of vision to the fake world using parallel meta-brain waves... but I thought that woman Yuuto called Drama Queen would at least put some defenses on her... ah! Of course. Shadow signals! She used shadow signals as a defensive measure for Kagami Sumika. And you managed to trick the shadow signals using several diffusing waves to decelerate the signals motion sequence. Clever girl."_

...thank...you?

_"Oh! Apologies. I am the Philosopher Sword that Beheld the Blessed Sage and Wisdom of Mind of the Universe. But you know how old folks are with their overly long names, so just call me Wisdom."_

...a sword...? Wisdom...? What or who are you...? What do you want...?

_"Suspicious, eh? Understandable. But now, it's quite irrelevant. As you can see, we need your help. Otherwise my master and I won't last long in this world."_

Your master? What are you-

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

-! That is...! No way! That is impossible! Burning flames and floating ice?! Impossible...

_"Oh, you mean the skills my master employed? Yes, it's quite special in its own way but it's not a guarantee that it can prevail against that summoned being. Honestly, how in the world is a Deity can be summoned in this world where mana is barely non-existent? Besides there should be at least 3 Eternals to summon a low class Deity. This one is very powerful and only one Eternal summoned it? This simply makes no sense."_

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

...

_"Utterly speechless, hm? Well, let me know as soon you make up your mind. No, wait, I forgot, we'll be dead by then. So please hurry it up a little."_

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

...For a sword called Wisdom, you are surprisingly sarcastic.

_"Blame it on my Master. If I didn't adopt this mindset, I would have gone insane with every single thing he did."_

He sounded really troublesome.

_"Tell me about it. Now, little girl, we are going to need your help. I know you don't trust us and we are not asking you to. But the fact is we need your help if we want to escape this world intact."_

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

...

_"..."_

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

...

_"Please?"_

...Tell me what I need to do.

* * *

**("Mind Council")**

Damn it Wisdom! Hurry it up! What's taking you so long?! This bastard is- Aargh! Damn it, Wisdom, tell me you got something!

_Partner, I was right. It seems like we might have a way out after all._

Okay, well? Hurry up! This bastard is killing me and I meant it quite literally and- Oh shit! Another blast of that white thing?! Damn i...ssksshhkssh.

_Yuuto! Hang on! Do you hear me?_

Kkkkkssssshhhkkksshh,,,es, yes, I'm fine. The shockwave disturbed my concentration a bit. Forget about lasers, that was one nasty crap... Anyway, what did you find?

_I was right when I said someone took a peek on us, let me get her in touch._

TTTTYYYHHHHHHYYYYYYTT establishingconnection TTTTYYYYYHHHHHTTTTTTTTT signalwavefound TTTTTYYYHHHTTTT serveryashirokasumifound TTTTTTYYYYHHHHHTTTTTT preparingconnection TTTTTTTTTYYYYYHHHHHTTT convertingmanaintoacceptable substance TTTTTYYYYTTTHHHHH inputmanaintoserversubstance TTTTYYHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTT signalaccepted TTTTTTYYYHHHHTTT scanningstructuralconnection TTTTTYYYYYHHHHTTTTTT connectionestablished.

"...Urk...!"

Umm... hello?

"...this is...what is this...?"

This sound... wait, it's that little bunny girl! Wisdom, what is she doing here?!

_She's been peeking at this realm from outside. To do it without any 'specialized' assistance only proved how skilled she is._

...I see. So she's our ticket out of this hellhole. Hey little girl, can you help us?

_"..."_

Um... little girl? I can sense your emotion in here, why the long face?

"...Perverted bogeyman..."

Guhuk! Now what did you mean by- Gah! Damn it! That bastard almost got my head!

_Yuuto... you..._

What? NO! Listen Wisdom, I did NOT do anything to the little bunny girl! And besides- Whoa! That was a close call... Okay guys, as much as I like this mildly pride-abusive comedy, can we skip the interrogation about the little girl AFTER nobody is trying to kill me?!

"...Yashiro Kasumi..."

Um... what?

"My name... is Yashiro Kasumi... not little bunny girl."

Oh... r-right. Yashiro... chan. Is that fine?

"...Nod..."

_Yuuto, for all the weakness I've found, it seems like I have to add a 'cutely pouting little girl with an increase of cuteness by puffing out her cheeks' into the list._

Not the time, Wisdom!

_Oh and Master, watch out for the claws. It's coming!_

W-wait a minute! Which one?! The right one, the left one or the one in- Ouch! Damn it!

_It's the one from its tail..._

...Right on time, Wisdom. Thanks a lot.

_You're welcome Master. Anyway, I'd like your permission to give Yashiro-san on the access to the Library._

Yeah, yeah, granted. Just be quick, I don't want to die in this shithole.

"...Library...? ...What am I supposed to do...?"

Well, little-um, Yashiro-chan, we need you to crack a hole from this fake dimension into the real dimension of your world.

"...Crack a hole...?"

Yep, it's a-The hell is that?! A sandstorm?! Deep underground?! And what kind of sand is freakin' pitch black?! What a load of Lovecraftian shit! Wisdom, take over for m...kkksshhkkssh.

"-! Bogeyman-san!"

_Don't worry, Yashiro-san, it's just the static from some shockwaves interrupting his thought process. It may sound a bit serious but my contractor is a lot tougher than he looks, he'll be fine... although, I'm a bit conflicted on how he'll react if you keep calling him that. On one side it's very amusing, on the other it's just simply pathetic. Well, no more dilly-dallying. Let's get back to the tasks at hand._

"...Okay..."

_Right, we are now trapped in a mana burst world where an artificial gateway has blocked our entrance path. First, we need to pry open the link to the world root where the significant energy within can help us break down the artificial gateway and..._

"..."

_...You don't understand what I meant, do you?_

". . . . . . Nod. . . . . ."

_Sigh... well, to put it simply, we are 'locked' in a room with just a single 'door' in our way, we need to 'open' that 'door' for us to get out of this world. Do you understand so far?_

"Nod."

_Now, there are three ways for us to get out. First of all, we find the 'owner' of the 'door' and steal the 'key' to the 'door', but it's impossible since that Deity is just too overwhelming in its senses. Second of all, we 'break down' the door itself with sheer power, wrecking the 'room' in process. That was what my Master intended to do, but as you can see-_

Ksskkskkhhhkkh...Oh, come on! Is that a tentacle?! Why the fuck is it shaped like a man's junk?! Wait... wait a minute... that... is that... IS THAT A NAUGHTY RAPIST TENTACLES?! I thought those things only existed in hentai animes! Don't tell me there's a surprise ending where I got myself raped by tentacles! Damn it you Drama Queen! Tentacle raping scenes are for females only! It's against the rules to get a man raped by tentacles! Nobody likes to see that! Well, screw this lot fucking junk bastar...kkshkhshkhsh.

_-He's rather occupied right now, so that's not a viable option._

"Nod."

_The third option is what we are asking you to do. It's em... what's the right word...? Hmm... ah yes. In a term, I think people tend to call it 'lockpicking'. Yes, that's the word. 'Lockpicking'. We need you to 'lockpick' the 'doorknob' to open the 'door'. With your psychic skill, I don't think it'll be that hard if I guide you along the way._

"Alright. Then what did you mean by the Library?"

_It's a collection of grimoires stored within my essence. It's a bit complicated to explain right now, but let's just consider it like a 'hairpin' to pick the lock on the door._

"Okay. I understand."

_One more thing Yashiro-san, the timing has to be perfect. There is a possibility that the Deity can also psychically assault you, so try your best to keep the signal wave to a minimum to keep it from noticing. We can only have a brief window when that creature realized the 'door' is opened so as soon as you finish your job, pull out your psychic sensing and get back to your original world as fast as you can._

"But then-"

_Come on, kid. Do we look like some amateur that don't know left and right? We'll follow you soon enough. Just... one thing though._

"?"

_Don't be surprised if we cause an uproar when we get back._

"?.?.?"

_Whatever, now here's what we need you to do._

* * *

**(Drama Queen)**

Steel clashes with claws. Blood drips from their flesh. Flashes of sparks glimmers as their shadows dances on the ground. Frantic explosions showered the lands like fireworks shot upside down.

Truly remarkable indeed.

This scene looks like a fight that happens between gods. I'm almost tempted to leave this Hideout and join the fight in that world directly.

"This place is weird." Came the simple comment from another spectator. "It's too dark and too cramped with stuff I don't even know what it does or what it is. And that sleeping mattress... are you sleeping in this cave?"

"I'd like to say this was my very own Batcave. What else do you expect?"

"I have no idea what a Batcave is and I have no intention of finding out so I'll just ignore it and besides..." the spectator glanced at me curiously."You look like you're enjoying yourself."

"Is that so?"

"All that talk about punishments on Takamine Yuuto was just an act, isn't it?"

"Hohoho, you really are sharp, Suzumiya-kun." I smirked.

"Do not call me that. I already understand I'm not Suzumiya Haruka." She absent-mindedly said, although I'm not really sure if she was trying to hide her emotion or if she was being strong. But my feeling said it was neither. "Hmm... yet you don't seem to be the least disturbed with that."

"I'd just like to keep an open mind about everything." She said.

"And why is that?" I asked while frowning. "Most of the copied clones I made would lose their minds once they realize they were nothing but a copy of their original. However, you not just retain your sanity but you felt as if it was no concern to you as well."

"Like I said, I'd just like to keep an open mind about everything. That in itself proven that I am different from Suzumiya Haruka."

"Hooo... so instead of persisting that you are the original, you quickly accepted the fact that you are not the original. Interesting."

"Does this mean you are going to 'dismiss' me like you 'dismissed' that girl?" She said indifferently.

I was curious as to why she asked me that, but I decided to answer her question first, "I'd thought about it before, but no. I think I'll keep you around since you are just too interesting."

"By interesting you mean a potential pawn, right?" She smiled. I think that was the first time she smiled ever since I teleported her here and put her out of the Connection spell. "I don't know what you are planning, but I don't mind being your pawn for a while."

"Hahaha! Like I thought, you are interesting!" I laughed her off. When she entered this place, she should have seen my real form, the fact that she ignored the real identity of who she just offered her service to is really amusing.

"Thank you... I guess."

"And what you said before about 'dismissing' that girl, you were referencing to Hayase Mitsuki, right? I didn't sense any hesitation, fear, or any malice of sort and yet you could speak like that easily. Does this mean you no longer possess the memories of Suzumiya Haruka?"

Strangely, she shook her head. "No, I do possess her memories. Her first meeting with Hayase Mitsuki. Her first date with Takayuki. The overflowing emotion she had when she realized she was in love with him. I do possess all of her memories..."

"I can see a 'but' coming."

"...But it felt absolutely nothing to me."

Now THAT was interesting.

"...And Master Sage told me I was heartless... one last thing." I turned to her, turning my sight off the screen and into the girl's face. She also gazed into my eye, although from what I can hear in her thoughts she was just pondering why I look so serious all of a sudden.

"Go ahead."

"After seeing my true form, you should have realized that you are heading down a path of violence and bloodshed if you were with me. Why did you agree so easily to be my pawn?"

"Simple. Because I had nothing better to do."

...

"..."

...

"...What?"

This girl... really is something. "Nothing."

With that dismissal, the spectator glued her eyes into the screen. Watching the fighting scene of the Eternal boy.

"What is that? It doesn't look like any BETA I've ever seen." Asked the spectator. Mostly out of whim than curiosity.

"Because it's not a BETA." I answered simply.

"Oh? Then what is that? A creature you brought from another world?"

"Close, but no. Tell me, do you know what a Necronomicon is? Ah, I forget. This world of yours is not exactly fond with old literature."

"Unless you forget, we do have an alien invasion ravaging half our planet. What else do you expect?" She snorted, I didn't miss the notion that she was directly copying what I said. "What is this Necronomicon about? From the name, I'm guessing it's some kind of ancient grimoire some ancient or powerful magician wrote."

"No, you are totally wrong. It's a fictionary ancient grimoire that a fictionary ancient and powerful magician wrote. The truth is it was just some powerful artifact mentioned in a book that an old man reveling in poverty wrote."

"Fictionary? It's just a made up then?"

"Yes, it was." I showed her a wicked smile, to which she replied by narrowing her eyes. "At least it used to be."

"...Your power." It only took her a moment to catch up. Smart girl. "That explains why he said you were weaker than you are supposed to, you wasted almost all of your power just to get that **thing** up and running, didn't you?"

I didn't say a word, merely smiled wickedly like I always do. That alone was enough to give her the answer.

"I see..." she nodded in confirmation. " But I don't think it will be enough to stop him."

This time I turned my head to her and frowned. "Oho, are you supporting him, perhaps? Something of that level cannot be easily defeated with just one Eternal." I smiled teasingly. "If you are having sympathy to the Guest Star Hero, once I captured him, I can arrange him to have a private time with you, you know~~"

"That is not what I meant." The spectator said calmly. If I had to be honest, I was a little bit disappointed that a development where she was stuttering or blushing didn't happen. I guess that is also what made her different than her counterpart. "I mean that **thing** won't be enough to stop him from escaping."

Oh, yes, maybe I should give a bit of shyness from her original counterpart personality and- WHAT?!

"Look there, see? He's escaping." She said, still looking indifferent.

I quickly turned my back on her and faced the screen intently.

And something happened there that I never expected to happen.

"That is a Black Hole, right? I thought that thing only existed in outer space." The spectator said, completely lacking in amazement or surprise. I, on the other hand, was having a hard time to stop gritting my teeth.

It was just as she said; a Black Hole has just appeared in that fake world I created. That Black Hole was a loophole in the system of my fake world. It literally pierces the wall I made and open a direct return path to the world where I abducted the Eternal boy.

This doesn't make any sense. He barely has the time to defend himself from that thing let alone creating a loophole. So how does he do it? How did that loophole appear? Did he get any help? No, that can't be. I only detected one Eternal entering the world, so there is no way a psychic capable of creating a system loophole could-

Ah... a psychic. I should have known.

"He is already too close to the Black Hole, is it okay to let him escape?" The spectator asked with no reserve. It was not a question out of sympathy, it was a question out of curiosity.

That creature I summoned is able to defeat him with a 60 to 40 chance of success, but I'd doubt it could stop him escape. A battle to retreat is different than a battle to win. All he had to do was delay it for several seconds then he'll be able to escape.

Granted, she took advantage that the Sage has wasted a lot of his mana just to maintain several protection wards I other worlds to prevent the continued system destruction resulted from Shirogane Takeru and his 'phenomena'. If the Sage remove the wards and gain his mana back, then I doubted the chances of my summoned creature. Considering his personality and willpower though, I find that possibility quite impossible.

In the end, an idea came into mind. I casted a rune and screamed into it. Knowing that my sound will undoubtedly reaches that Guest Star Hero.

Once I'm done, the spectator that was the clone counterpart of Suzumiya Haruka looked blankly at me. "What was that all about?"

"Even though the ending was not what I expected, it's still an appraisable show I suppose." I said to myself while blatantly ignored her, which earned a frown from my new pawn. The frustration from being tricked really gets into me.

"Let's just keep an eye on our Guest Star Hero." I whispered as I shut down the screen. "Uncertain factors like him are advantageous, but only if he were thrown into a situation that have nothing to do with you. Now that it's no longer an option, I have to include myself more actively in this particular loop."

"Guest Star Hero, huh?" The spectator pondered curiously on a nickname I decided for him on a whim. "That suited him quite well I think."

Come to think of it he did call me Drama Queen, didn't he? I guess I'm okay with that. It's not that bad of a stage name. But Guest Star Hero? Frankly, the term 'hero' brings out many complicated feelings in me. Heroes are people that saved others. That much most people understand. But what most people don't understand was how 'heroes' have to choose which one they have to save. Because no matter how powerful they are or how much they try, heroes can never save everyone. Especially in this world where sacrifices and tragedies are in a plenty. Heroes are not in short supply.

I sighed once more as a load of script problems popped up in my head. The original script I had planned for him is no longer available. A whole new script has to be written. As my mind started working to the point of an overload, I can't help but hold out a smirk in my part.

"Honestly, I don't think he's suited to be a hero." I said to no one in particular but I know the spectator was listening. "Someone like him that can save everyone without sacrificing anyone is not someone that should be degraded into the class of a hero."

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

That. Was. Close.

Another inch! Another inch from total death and annihilation! Another inch from tentacle scene that nobody would want to hear or see! DAMN IT! THAT. WAS. CLOOOOSSSEEEE!

What the hell is going on here?! That thing was definitely on par with a Deity! How the hell did that thing ever existed here?! I thought most powerful beings steered clear from technological-oriented world like this. Then why is it here?!

Well, shit. Too much questions, not enough answers... "hey, Wisdom, you're still there?"

_I'm tempted to just stay quiet, but considering what we encountered, I don't think it's time for play casual._

"I thought as much. How's the little girl?"

_Safe. She pulled out just in time. She is in a room somewhere in the upper level. A brain room, if what she said was right._

"Phew, that's a relief."

I looked into my surroundings once more and confirmed that I was in the BETA Reactor Chamber, only this time there were no hostile aliens or a girl possessed with crazy madwoman. The round and circular shape of the BETA Core was still intact and not a hunk of meat and blood. The signs of the previous destruction were also gone, revealing that I really am back in that crappy world.

Ah, also the platform where the Reactor Control Room is was also still intact. In fact, there it is. Still up there several meters above me with all the people looking down here...

...Eh?

"Hey! Who's down there?"

"Why is that boy there?!"

"Sound the alarm, we got an intruder!"

Oh, bloody hell!

**_"Intruder alert at the Core Reactor-level. I repeat, intruder alert at the Core Reactor-level. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. DEFCON 2 is in effect. I repeat, DEFCON 2 is in effect. All units report to your designated area—"_**

Only one logical thing to do, no sense in hanging around here. Eh? Wisdom?

_Partner! Wait! Don't run away just yet!_

"Why not?!"

_You haven't forgotten why we're here in the first place, didn't you?_

"Why we're here...? Oh, you mean information about the BETAs."

_Exactly! We can't fight that thing all by ourselves, not while we're maintaining all the wards in hundred other worlds. So the only logical thing is to get help from other Eternals._

"And the only way we get out of here is through all the BETAs in Kashgar." I managed to contain my panic. "I was confident with our odds before but with some of our energies drained out like this... damn it! As much as I hated it, we're going to need a lot of help. Staying around like this won't help to get the cooperation of the military."

_Maybe, but on the other hand we are going to need to extract all the information about BETA if we want to survive._

"And how do we get this information? From the military?! From what I understand, they don't know much about them than we already did! And like I said before, staying around here, won't help!"

_You're right, the military don't. That Core on the other hand..._

"Wait, you mean the BETA Core?" To say it's a surprise would be an understatement. "You can extract information from it?!

_I can confidently say yes. I got a brief glance from the materials when it was blown apart. It's foreign to this world, but it's not entirely foreign to me. It's almost similar to a biological computer. Stab me into that Core, and I can hack myself into that computer with no problem and perform a Datamine._

"Heh, so you're my personal alien hacking tools?" I grinned. The notion of it was really weird in a way. "Hah! Don't get me wrong, that's a great idea all and all but you do realize the Military is on to us, right? "

_Oh? And I was under the impression that you can handle everything..._

Okay, now that does it! "Keep talking, you damn sword. Just get moving! Gather everything you can. DNA maps, planet origin, biological history, physiology, tactics, thought patterns, everything! I'll keep the military covered!" I ordered him.

_As you wish, Master._

"Hey! Put your hands up and throw your weapons slowly!"

Ah, great. The MPs really are quick on their feet. Don't they realize what I'm doing can be beneficial to their world as well? Sigh, it really is hard trying to save a world when their inhabitants were less than cooperative.

_Master, just to make sure, you did planted the backup right?_

"Oh, count on it." I concurred his query. I almost forgot about the backup that I planted in the Hangar Base. Fighting a superhuman being does tend to take your minds off your priority.

"Kid! I'm warning you! Surrender your weapons, now!"

Speaking of priority, what that Drama Queen said at the last minute also seemed to be really weird.

_What's wrong, Yuuto?_

What was it that she said? That thing she screamed on me when I was entering the Black Hole?

**_You can live through this stage, Master Sage! But I promise you! That stage filled with tragedy and despair will be your grave!_**

A world filled with tragedy and despair, eh? Man, with just that one comment, it sounded as if she was lamenting to everything in the world.

_Yuuto?_

"Last warning! Respond immediately, or we will use lethal force!"

If that was really the case. If this stage, she called a world, really is filled with nothing but tragedy and despair...

"Alright that does it! Take the shot!"

_Yuuto!_

...Then I think it's time for a change in genre.

* * *

**The keyword this time is Magic, people! Most Muv-luv fans might be disappointed with the lack of Mecha advantage over Magic, but as you all might know this IS a crossover, so please bear with me here.**

**I wanted to write the reason why I took so long, but for all honesty, people are just going to find it a boring excuse, so I'm not going to do it.**

**Now, about the chapter itself... Phew, it's completely messed up, isn't it? Yep, people are definitely going to be disappointed with how much needless twist and turns in that. I wanted to fix it, oh, believe me I do, but I can't find the right...um...what do you call it? ...wording. Yeah, that's right. Wording. Still learning here, people. At least I already have a proper plot in mind, but that doesn't change the fact that this chapter is far from good. **

**I'm seriously considering looking for BETA-reader that can help me plot out a better wording for the fic. Nope, not spell-checking. Few mistakes here-and-there, but the spelling's good enough for me. And I clearly do not mean reading BETAs! Wisdom's the only one that can read them... sort of. Wonder if they have any language, letters or whatever it is they got up there. Maybe we'll never know.**

**Oh? Why Lovecraft? well, who doesn't hate his monsters? Almost like how all people hate BETAs. Now, don't get me wrong, I know we love just how disgusting they are and how much we hated them for it. I guess it's true when they say love and hate is part of the same coin.**

**As for the Drama Queen Eternal? Well, she (or "it", as the story develops) actually had an appearance in a very small and largely unnoticed Seirei Tenshou, a prequel of Seinarukana. Not as fun as the original, mind you, but good reference material, even if I can't read Japanese's bloody Kanji. One thing I honestly hate about the cultures of Chinese, Koreans and Japanese is their _thousands_ alphabets.**

**And no, it's not Eternal Sky. Although the scene where Yuuto tried to kill Rogas when he proposed to Euphie was very amusing.**

**Review if you want to point out where I did it wrong and where I did it right. Or better yet, PM-me if you'd like to help me with the BETA-read. God knows I need one by now. A rewrite is definitely necessary, it'll have to wait for later though.**

**On the bright side, I got a raise! Hell yeah!**


	6. Electronic Warfare

For those that haven't noticed, Chapter 5 has also been modified at the same time. Go check it out first, it won't make much of a sense otherwise. Who am I kidding, Chapter 5 didn't make much of a sense in the first place! Gotta do a rewrite on it soon. Sigh, well at least this chapter was better in my opinion.

* * *

**Abandon All Reason. The Trickster Has Begun to Move. _Electronic Warfare._**

* * *

**(Shirogane Takeru)**

"What's the situation?!" I asked the only Valkyrie member in the debriefing room. "And where is everyone else?"

"There seems to be another security breach." 1st Lt. Suzumiya Haruka answered with a tense but composed expression. "From what I heard, it was the same intruder from before."

The same one from before? So it really is Takamine? What is that guy doing now!?

"As for the Valkyries themselves, it seems they were sent to guard the outer detention ward." I unconsciously blinked when I heard that. Outer detention ward? Isn't that outside of Takamine's detention cell? "I know, Shirogane-san, it didn't make quite a sense and several officers have already declared what a waste of resources it was. But the Vice Commander was unusually persistent on adding more guards in outside his cell."

"And yet he still managed to escape..." I grunted dejectedly.

"So it seems." Suzumiya-san sighed. "Several of the Valkyries, including myself, thought the Vice Commander was being unusually paranoid as of late. And now with another security breach this soon..." She shook her head in disbelief. "I guess the Vice Commander really do have a good reason to be concerned."

...Paranoid, yeah. She did seem quite unsettled when she came into my room ... but when she went out after the alarm, she didn't look like she had any worries at all. Why is that? Aren't normal people supposed to be panicked when an alarm goes off? Oh, wait, this IS Kouzuki-sensei I'm talking about. The term ordinary people can never be connected with Kouzuki Yuuko.

That was when someone came in through the door.

"1st Lt. Suzumiya. 2st. Lt. Shirogane." said 1st Lt. Elena Piatif that just came. Almost automatically, we saluted her in response. "Forgive me for the lack of proper formality, but as you all know this is extremely urgent. The Vice Commander expected you two in the Command Room."

I glanced briefly into Suzumiya-san and she gave me a brief nod. Something must have came up if she didn't ask me to go with her to the Command Room instead of having me stand-by in the debriefing room. "What about the rest of the Valkyries?" I asked Lt. Piatif.

"Seeing as they were already deployed into guard duty, their will be briefed immediately through the communication channel." Her face darkened for a while. "As you can see, this situation is... strange."

"Strange?" Suzumiya-san tilted her head, confused.

"Yes... I think it's better if you hear the details in the Command Post." She said ominously. All we can do now is giving her another nod and follow her into the Command Room.

During our walk, nobody seems to waste any time speaking. And the large commotion of MPs that we passed on isn't really hard to notice. Two security breach in the span of three days? Definitely something that pushes the stress in everyone. Plus the whispers of an inside man that the passing MPs talked about was hardly something I can easily dismiss. I guess it's strange for two security breach in such a short span of time could happen, considering the increased security and all. No normal person can pull that off without any help, so it's fairly logical that any military community would think that an inside person is in play.

Keyword: Normal.

From what I heard from Yuuko-sensei and the guy himself, it seems like Takamine is in possession of some kind of special powers. Powers, so convenient, that it allows him to travel between universes... heh, if I didn't come from another world myself, I would have laughed it off like a bad joke, but now?

That superhuman strength and reflexes, some illusions trap put together in a tape, extraordinary skill in infiltration to the point of turning_ invisible_ and knowledge of alternate universes. I'm not really knowledgeable of the science of this world but I don't think it was advanced enough to create an all-powerful super soldier like that.

I don't think it'll surprise me if he starts shooting fireballs or lightnings.

"We're here." Informed Lt. Piatif.

As we walked through the increasingly tight security scan, Lt. Piatif opened the door into the Command Post.

And chaos was all we could see.

"The Reactor Control Room has been taken over! Repeat! We lost the Reactor!"

"He sealed the main and back door into the Reactor Chamber and the maintenance access was blown up! The MPS are cut off! All entrances are blocked!"

"How many casualties are there? 24 injured, 0 death... wait, 0 death? Say again, Falcon, over! Damn, we lost him."

I always thought 'total chaos' only applies in a messed-up battlefield but now I gain the insight that the word can also be applied 'behind-the-lines'. Even Suzumiya-san who had more experience than me in tactical command seemed taken aback by the number of people going here and there in a panic. Although for an experienced general like Radhabinod this might also be a messed-up battlefield of a different kind.

"Three squads of Military Police dispatched were defeated. Defeated? Not killed? Hm, the intruder seemed to be quite a softy. And it seems that all entrances have been blocked. Smart, but still soft."

"...Staff Sergeant Reynolds, contact the mechanics in the Hangar Bay. Get Cracker Team on standby in their TSFs. Outfit them with high-caliber bullet to breach through the main entrance. 15 minutes."

"Sir, yes, sir."

Speaking of which, General Radhabinod and Yuuko-sensei seems to be the only two people here that doesn't look like as panicked as the others.

"Ah, Suzumiya. Shirogane." Our autonomous reflexes moved our hands to salute, but Yuuko-sensei quickly waved us off. "Don't bother. This is the worst time for formalities. Now what was it you wanted to ask him, commander?"

Eh? Ask him? General Radhabinod wanted to ask me something? What does that mean?

"Shirogane Takeru, is it?" Radhabinod raised his brows upon seeing me. "I've heard you were the one that discovered the intruder earlier before, is that true?"

"Yes, sir." I managed to answer without stuttering. His gaze was really powerful it almost made me flinched. Why is he drilling me with my eyes like that? Uuuuu... this is bad, being stared at like this is really unnerving me. And here I thought I already overcame my fear of BETAs.

I tried to glance into Yuuko-sensei to get some help but she keeps wearing that demon's smirk on her the entire time. No help there. Lt. Piatif? Urk! She's staring at me too. Definitely no help there! Ah, how about Suzumiya-san? I tried glancing at her but she looks just as confused as I was.

Until her eyes widened and started glaring at me the same way General Radhabinod did. Damn it, what did I do now?!

"Hmm... I see." He said after a moment. "You seem to be telling the truth. Or maybe you are just that oblivious."

Eh? The truth? Oblivious? What in the world is going on here!

"See? I first thought that he was only dense when it came to women." Y-Yuuko-sensei! What are you saying? "But it appears that he was also dense when it came to critical situation like this. You have to fix that bad habit of yours quickly Shirogane."

"U-um, what are you talking about?"

General Radhabinod frowned and three people immediately sighed with perfect synchronization. Damn it! Stop toying around with me!

"To be blunt, you are under suspicion of being the inside man, Shirogane." Yuuko-sensei said as she rubbed her temples. Eh? Wait a minute. The inside man? Me!?

"Yes, isn't it strange? The intruder known as Takamine Yuuto was found and apprehended due to in no small part from you." Yuuko explained. "After that, Takamine Yuuto managed to escape while under guard from 10 Military Police and a whole brigade of TSF Task Force Valkyrie stationed outside. You were the only one in the base beside me that spent enough time with the intruder to have enough connection that warrants suspicion. And my interaction with him was already cleared of all suspicion with the existence of a recorded media. You on the other hand have no such thing."

"Wait a minute, Yuuko-sensei! That guy beat me up and sent me into the ward! How can I possibly help that guy after what he did!"

"But it was a convenient excuse, isn't it?" Yuuko pointed out. "Because of that you were relieved out of active duty and that gave you a window of time to do something to support his escape and infiltration."

...! That's...! This is...! No way! There is no way I'd do something like that! So I'm their number one suspect!? I didn't even talk to him ever since he beaten me up!

...W-wait. T-that's not exactly true... that guy did visit me in my ward so... damn you Takamine, damn you to hell! How in the hell did he get out from his cell anyway!? ...Wait...that's a pretty good question... how _did_ he get out?

"Professor, how did the intruder escape his incarceration?" Suzumiya-san asked, beating me to the punch. Yeah, depending on the method he used to escape, it can be determined whether or not he had an inside help or not. This was one of the most basic in prison break investigation.

But instead of answering, Yuuko-sensei fidgeted uncomfortably. Even General Radhabinod looked strangely frustrated and Lt. Piatif averted her gaze.

"Yuuko-sensei? How did he escape?" I urged her to answer.

Yuuko fell silent for a bit before saying, "The truth is we don't know how he did it."

"Eh?!" Suzumiya-san and I voiced our surprise at the same time.

"Like I said, we don't know how he did it." Yuuko sighed. "Even the MPs stationed directly outside of his cell were perplexed. One second before an MP looked around he was there and then by the time he looked back into the cell he just vanished."

"Maybe he was lying or something?" I suggested.

"No, not with nine other MPs outside his cell as a witness."

"B-but, how about the security cameras?" Suzumiya-san blinked. "Surely they must have gotten something!"

"It's the same with them, one second he was clearly in the footage and the other he just disappeared." Yuuko once again sighed, clearly showing signs of exhaustion. "The investigation unit is going to have a very long field day after this."

"Clearly we have never seen anything like this." Piatif painfully admitted. "The General has ordered a thorough search of the cell for any suspicious sign that can hopefully point out how he escaped, but they've found absolutely nothing. No holes, no hidden shiv, no makeshift weapon, no lockpicks, nothing at all."

"..."

General Radhabinod hasn't said a word, but even I can tell he was not in a good mood if that expression he was making was any indication.

While the rest of them were discussing how he got away, Yuuko-sensei stole a glance at me.

I nodded.

We both know what Takamine Yuuto was capable of. No, to be precise, we don't really know what he was capable of, but we know it was something beyond normal human comprehension. As far as I can tell, no other loops of mine have ever had an encounter with someone like him. And that made him a somehow bigger threat than the BETAs. We can somewhat predict and counter BETAs actions to a certain degree but an inter-dimensional super soldier with dozens of outlandish abilities? This is not good, not good at all.

Although... if it's not good... then why is Yuuko-sensei smiling like that?

She knows something. Yuuko-sensei must have figured out something about him. I'm not as smart as she is so I don't know what it is. No one ever knows what goes on in her head so I doubted anyone could ever tell what she's thinking. I guess I have to trust Yuuko-sensei on this.

"Regardless, there are only two things in mind." Radhabinod said, breaking me from my line of thought. "The brief interaction Takamine Yuuto had with 2nd Lt. Shirogane Takeru and his interrogation process with Vice Commander Kouzuki which he gave some results that were being processed by intelligence. Although, now I doubted that he was telling the truth."

"Which only leaves... Shirogane-kun." Suzumiya-san hesitantly added. As much as I hated it, it only makes sense. I'm the only connection they had with Takamine when I saw him infiltrating the base. Takamine did fought against several other soldiers, including several of my squad members in the Valkyries, but I put a better fight against him much more than the rest of the soldiers had (not that I was prideful or anything, I did ended up a lot worse than the rest). That has resulted in enough time between Takamine and I to establish a connection or to exchange information and that would certainly arouse some suspicions even though I did nothing of the sort.

"There is still a possibility that 2nd Lt. Shirogane was merely faking that response." Lt. Piatif calmly said. Keh, she's right. I'm clearly cornered here!

"No, I'm afraid Shirogane is just that stupid." Yuuko-sensei added as I resisted my urge to scream at her in tsukkomi. Then she turned at General Radhabinod. "If you like general, I can give my personal vouch that Shirogane is in no way involved in helping the intruder in any way."

Yuuko-sensei! Thank you very much! I truly misjudged you!

"Hm, I suppose I have to settle with that for now." Radhabinod grumbled. "2nd Lt. Shirogane after this incident is resolved, you are required to report immediately to the investigation unit for level 3 interrogation, are we clear?"

"Sir, yes—!"

And pain was all over me.

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

"Tch! You monster!" Said an MP as he pointed a gun at Takamine Yuuto.

Nothing needed to be said or written that such efforts are pointless and before he was given the chance to shoot the poor Military Police were immediately given a punch that can knock out Mike Tyson 10 times over.

"C'mon, guys, can't you have a bit of variety?" With a thin smile, Yuuto slide into a nearby wall beside the platform as an incoming assault rifle fire stormed into his position. "You people keep saying monster, monster, monster. Knock it off, will you!?"

If the soldiers of the opposing side had heard him, they clearly showed no indication of it as they continued firing at him. In fact, the rate of fire has increased exponentially. It could be called an indication in and of itself.

"Damn, did I scare them too much?" Yuuto muttered to himself.

To be honest, Yuuto have no need of hiding behind walls to avoid gunfire since his skin was so thick, it could become the highest grade of bulletproof vest if he was skinned (not that anyone has ever tried though, and if someone is stupid enough to try, then you can be sure that person will be wishing to see hell once the Eternal is done with him).

The reason why he did so was to make sure that his identity as a multi-dimensional super traveler/warrior will not be carelessly revealed. The event with a certain tyrant/dictator was enough of a lesson for him to keep a low profile whenever possible.

"Well, this is still a nuisance though. I should wrap this up quick before they send in more reinforcements."

As he spoke, Yuuto took a big dash forward.

"!"

Naturally, the Military Police did not stand idly by.

They pointed their muzzles into the boy and proceeded to pull the trigger.

But no shots were fired.

The distance between them was originally 28 meters and aside from a small wall on the corner, the numerous amounts of MPs already had the intruder surrounded.

And yet, with one leap and several milliseconds he had covered the 28 meters distance.

"What the-!?"

Before the MP even had a chance to pull the trigger, his body was already flying in the air like a car hitting him straight in the eye.

And then the boy moved on to the next one.

The soldier's mouth formed a sound that looked to be the beginning of the swearing word 'shit' and before he had the chance of saying the whole word, a massive trauma appeared from his left cheek.

That was what happened to the rest of the MPs as they were knocked out mercilessly one after another

When the last MP was defeated, the first MP that was flown off had just barely touched the ground.

"Wew, that was well done."

_You do realize that superhuman speed like that would have rendered your earlier effort of hiding your powers right?_

"No, Wisdom, what I need to hide isn't my powers, it's my identity. They could peg me as a lab grown super soldier for all I care. Well, bulletproof ability are hard to explain, so I had to take cover to give the impression that_ I_ _can be harmed by bullets like normal human_."

His partner, the sword called Wisdom, was not asking him what his ploy was, instead he was testing him on how much progress he has made as an Eternal.

_Good, that means you are improving rather well. I must say, you do complain a lot about Tatorga, but it has improved your character a lot._

"Damn it, Wisdom! I keep telling you, that word is off-limits! I never **ever** want to hear that cursed place ever again!"

If the sword possessed a human form, it would have raised both of his hand with a surrendering sigh. Likely, Yuuto understand his sword's character well enough to know about that. And like it or not, it was pissing him off.

"Whatever, this is pointless... Wisdom, we've already destroy the maintenance access and sealed the back door right? That leaves... the main entrance. Where's the mechanism to close the main entrance?"

_You mean the one that was destroyed by a frag grenade?_

"Crap, I knew that bastard was up to something when his throw was way off target. No choice but to do it manually then."

The main entrance into the BETA Reactor Chamber was created with reinforced steel with a 500 meter square of surface area, its opening and closing mechanism depended on complicated mechanisms that includes, but not limited to, chains, gears, levers, rotors, etc. And most of these mechanisms are located very, _very_ high above ground.

_Manually? But the chains and grates are way up there. How are you going to- wait... Yuuto... why are your stance look like it was ready to throw something...?_

"Here. We. GO!"

Wisdom, one of the most powerful and high-ranked Eternity Sword, was thrown like a piece of metal garbage in the air.

It cut precisely where Yuuto intended to and it went back into his hand immediately afterwards. The main entrance was also slowly closing as a result.

"That did it. Hm? Hey, Wisdom. Something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Just my pride stepped aside like garbage once more."

"Eeerr... sorry...?"

"No, no, I already got used to it. Please continue stepping into my pride in the future"

With a puzzled look on the boy's face and an irritated sword grumbling about curses, the duo eventually walked into the BETA Reactor.

And right in front of it, after Yuuto complained how unnaturally sticky the floor around the Reactor is, the Eternal faces against the bright white-bluish huge circular crystal called the BETA Reactor.

"Wisdom, how much time do you think you'll need for the data extraction?"

_I won't know until I see the size of the content. The concept function of the BETA Reactor is for energy supply and information exchange, considering how they managed to overcome an entire world, I'd say the data pretty big in size."_

"Alright, Mr. Alien-Computer-Hacking-Tool, do explain how you're planning to hack into an alien computer in the shape of bright blue crystal. I thought that mind-extraction ability of yours only works on living beings, not... computers."

Oh, that's because this BETA Reactor is alive. It may look like a crystal stone from the outside, but there is a considerable amount of flesh inside. All of them wrapped up like a shell covering a snail. Just stab me into the shell and I'll do the rest.

"Your call." Yuuto shrugged.

Yuuto draw his partner and lunge it into the BETA Reactor.

A loud sound of 'thunk!' echoed in the empty huge chamber.

And the unexpected change that occurred after several seconds surprised even the Eternal who was unluckily in a very close distance with the phenomena.

* * *

**(Shirogane Takeru)**

"Sir, yes—!"

I trailed off before saying sir.

The reason for that was simple, a screeching sound from one of the monitor interrupted the trail of thoughts in my brain.

Literally.

"Aaaaarrrrggggghhhh!"

My brain felt like it wanted to explode. I held my ears with both of my hands trying to damp the painful noise but it still reaches through. My knees were trembling and it fell down as I lose control of my nerves in the pain. Still struggling with the pain, I looked around in desperation trying to get some help... only to find that the rest of the people in the Command Room isn't faring any better.

Yuuko-sensei held up her head while wincing. Her expression was one of clear pain, an expression I rarely see even in my other loops. Suzumiya-san fell down almost instantly and her body shook a bit before she finally went silent. I was afraid the worst had just happen but her erratic breathing suggested she was merely out of consciousness. Lt. Piatif was the same, she leaned into the side of a desk but she was still breathing erratically. General Radhabinod was handling it better than anyone, although he still has a difficulty in standing. I don't know what happen to the rest of the staff in the Command Room but from the strained and pained sounds, I don't think they were having a good time.

If this goes on... even death is possible as the high-pitched frequency fried our human brains inside out.

Shit. I don't know why, I don't know how. But I know you're behind this. Damn you Takamine. Damn you to hell.

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

The first thing that my brain processed after the high-pitched screeching blown off my ears and paralyzed me was the three words of 'what', 'the', and 'hell'. Fully equipped with question mark (?) and an exclamation mark (!).

I seemed to be having those three words in my thoughts a lot in just one day. I know this world was a bad idea the moment I step foot in it.

I wouldn't even have to step foot in here if that idiot Shirogane didn't cause a wide array of universal disaster. Damn you Shirogane. Damn you to hell.

Luckily, my body was no longer of ordinary human, so my organs quickly adjusted itself and eventually my ears got used to the high-pitched frequency screech. The first thing I said once I recovered was, "WHAT THE HELL!?"

_I see you've recovered Yuuto. You mind giving me a bit of a help here?_

"Wisdom! What just happened?!"

The Eternal quickly ran into his partner.

And found the sword was in much more better shape than before.

"What the...?"

_Amazing, isn't it? This Reactor was overflowing with mana. Although it was not a very good quality in a way._

The sword was gleaming and shined radiantly. It was shining so bright, Yuuto can practically swear that light was coming out of its hilt. And not just that, the boy can feel a power flowing from the Reactor.

"There's mana in there!? But I didn't sense any of it before!"

_I said there was flesh case-shelled like a cocoon inside the crystal-like exterior, remember? Apparently that flesh was thick full of mana. Enough to recover the reserves for at least two years or five. Although it was disgusting in its own way._

"I was willing to take the extra mana as good news, but the way you mentioned 'disgusting' really unnerved me. How is it disgusting again?"

_It's like... I can't explain it... how do you say it...? Ah! It's like eating a junk food made from unhealthy chemicals._

"... I get the feeling you are the type that will become a vegetarian warrior if you lived as a normal human. What about this god awful noise? Was it you?"

_No and yes. No is also true, but it's still yes at the same time._

"Okay, so which one is it? I don't have times for your usual riddles! Yes or no!?"

_It's the security system inside the BETA Reactor._

"I'm sorry. I must have misheard you. I think you just said security system inside an alien BETA Reactor."

_That's what I said. The security system detected my initial infiltration and has been trying to obstruct me in every way imaginable. Shaking them off will be very difficult unless I plug into their power source and use the lack of power to create some holes in their security detachments. Two birds with one stone, right?_

"What is this, Bloody Monday!? If so, then I'm the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time! Just hurry up and fix that loud noise before someone gets killed!"

Hacking into the BETA Reactor, which was apparently some sort of living being that act as a super-computer and power generator, might be a feat anyone in this world would gouge their own eyes to have. But Yuuto as an outsider with countless other impossible feats (and countless more crazy and ridiculous ones, as Wisdom could claim) couldn't care any less about that.

_Understood, Master. This level of security holes should be sufficient. Terminating security protocols and establishing data mine process._

* * *

**(Shirogane Takeru)**

And then after several painful minutes, it vanished.

It took me almost fifteen minutes to be standing. And it seemed I was the second one to recover... aside from General Radhabinod of course. Some of the staff was still down for the count, some of them were trying to get up, some of them were still moaning in pain. But now, I have a bigger concern. A concern I imagined the good general was also having.

I didn't expect anyone to answer and I was not asking anyone in particular, in fact speaking informally like that in front of a higher ranked military officer would have earned me a severe chastisement, but the hardened general pointed to a screen with a trembling hand and said, "Look."

Some of the staff that was recovering, including me and Yuuko-sensei, followed where he was pointing at and quickly widened our eyes in shock and awe.

It was showing the footage of a security camera in the Reactor Chamber in level B-33.

It showed the image of a red-colored BETA Core Reactor.

_Red-colored_ BETA Reactor!?

What in the world is going on here?! Isn't the color of the BETA Reactor supposed to be white with blue-cyan hue? This doesn't make any sense! No I don't think what that guy was doing had any sense in the first place! What was Takamine thinking!?

But I wasn't given the opportunity to scream out those thoughts as another loud sound appeared.

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

Yuuto stared into the red colored BETA reactor and whistled in praise.

"Wow, that thing is quite beautiful if you ignore the fact that it was responsible to the massacre of millions of people." Yuuto said sarcastically.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a rectangular shaped object with a long antenna and two buttons on its surface.

Even a child can tell what that thing is and how much effect it could cause when connected with the right tools and right skill.

"Time to pull out the 'backups' then."

It was a detonator.

And Yuuto pushed the button like a reluctant executioner.

* * *

**(Shirogane Takeru)**

Another strange sound rang out.

This time it wasn't the painfully high-pitched screeching sound that paralyzed the entire Command Room, it was an explosion of some sort as the sound reminded me to be some sort of a blast, even though there was something odd that I can't quite put my finger on.

This time Radhabinod wasted no time by saying, "Status report!"

Some of the staff was still stunned by the speedily progressing event that they don't know which one their brain should process first but Radhabinod made that decision for them, "Explosion damage! Status report!" He yelled.

And with that, the staff broke out of their trance and went back into their loud chatter. Meanwhile, I can see that Yuuko-sensei also arranged for medical team to transport all injured or unconscious staff to the med bay.

I had to admit, that was an impressive commanding decision. The red-colored BETA Reactor was definitely a serious concern but there was nothing anyone here could do except second-guessing facts and speculations. The explosion though, now that was something everyone here could do something about. From the looks of it, it must have been sabotage from Takamine's part. Depending on where it was and what kind of damage it caused, Radhabinod can create a countermeasure after analyzing the report.

It was a good decision most would expect from a good general, but I have forgotten just how dangerous Takamine Yuuto really is.

"Sir, it was the Hangar Bay! The explosion occurred from the Hangar Bay!" One of the staff reported to Radhabinod half-screaming.

The Hangar Bay? That means the TSFs are destroyed!?

"Damn." The general grumbled. "How much damage are we talking about? Can we get into contact with the mechanics in charge?"

"Negative sir. All contact to anyone to the Hangar Bay from Hangar 1 to Hangar 41 has been lost! No one is responding!"

All the Hangar Bay has been destroyed!? Takamine, you bastard! Didn't you say you didn't like pointless killing!?

General Radhabinod's face also turned sour, clearly an explosive of that level was not something he expected an intruder like Takamine to possess.

"Have a medical and rapid response team on site ASAP." He ordered. "Also, bring out a fire team to neutralize any damage from the flame and-"

"No, I don't think this a fire team is necessary." What? Yuuko-sensei? What are you saying all of a sudden!?

"...Would you mind to explain, Vice Commander Kouzuki?" Radhabinod frowned.

"Heheh, look outside the window commander."

Outside the window, she pointed to a window where some of the Hangar Bay can be seen. Some of the staffs and I and Radhabinod included followed her gaze. What is she talking about? Yes, there's the Hangar Bay and it's...

"...!"

"You see now? There's no fire and no smoke. And the Hangar Bay was pretty much intact."

"So... it was a misinformation? A sound from a tape maybe?" One of the staff muttered in confusion. "There was no explosion in the Hangar Bay?"

"No, I believe the explosion did happen." Yuuko answered unhesitatingly.

"Then why is the Hangar Bay still intact?" I asked her. "If the explosion really did happen then we should have seen small dots of smoke, even if the explosion that happened was a small one. And judging from the sound of it, that explosion was nothing small."

"You're on the right track Shirogane." Yuuko smiled mischievously. "It's the sound. Do you really think a normal explosion would have sounded like that?"

The sound? Yeah, I did think there was something strange with the sound but... wait... hang on... yes... the sound really did sounded weird.

Normal explosion would have sounded like 'BOOOOMMMMM' and there was still that... 'BOOM' sound element in that explosion, but it was accompanied with something that sounded like... "Bzzzttt" or something.

"...!" Shit, I think I know what that is! A mech robot in Valgernon has that as its primary weapon!

Yuuko should've known about it too, that's why she- "Although I don't know the detail of it, you have to understand that was no mere explosion."

That's because it was an explosion that disables all forms of electricity! Right, Yuuko-sensei! Explain it to us all!

"Yes, we did lose all contact with the mechanics." Radhabinod nodded. "Since it is hard to imagine that we lost all contact with 500 mechanics on duty currently stationed on the Hangar Bay, we can safely assume that the explosion really did occur, and somehow it managed to disable our line of communication. This is troubling"

...Eh?

"Yes, maybe, the explosion was targeted at our communication line? But since we only lost contact with the mechanics instead of a whole base, that's not likely to happen." Yuuko pondered for a moment, "although... if it was a bomb that was able to destroy electronic appliances that'd be my guess. But I don't think something that convenient is possible."

Eh?

"Why do you look so surprised, Shirogane? Oh, you don't think an imaginary weapon like that exist, do you? Something like that might have been possible in idea, but I never heard of any country or organization developing something like that before."

EEEEEHHHHHHH!?

* * *

**(Takamine Yuuto)**

"Let's see, this one goes there. And that one here. Red cables on this plug and black in that one."

The aforementioned super soldier who is in reality an extra-dimensional prankster called Takamine Yuuto was tinkering with the standard military-issue communication radio he looted from the unconscious MP that he was sitting on. Even though the act of sitting on top of a foe he defeated might be considered as a display of arrogance, it was not the case though. He was simply too tired and too lazy to keep standing around. Hence, the poor man was treated as a makeshift sitting rag.

"Hey, Wisdom, how much longer?" He asked his partner.

Still stabbed into the giant BETA Core, the sword gave an inaudible reply, but Yuuto narrowed his eyes as he had clearly received the message someway.

It was likely that the sword had focused all of its energy on the data mine so much that it's capability of speech and telepath was cut out. And so he could only sent a message to his contractor through a method only the two of them understand.

"I see, only 54%. In the span of 15 minutes. I'd say we're doing a good progress. But I don't think it'll be enough."

Another inaudible sound appeared from the sword. Likely it was asking a question. One that Yuuto answered cheerfully.

"Yes, yes. I did plant the EMPs into several of the hangar bays to disable their TSFs. It's a good thing we stored some of those in the weapon cache."

Eternals are a being that wanders through worlds. That means encountering countless different civilizations with countless different methods of warfare. And not to mention different sets of laws applies into those worlds. Some are science-based while others are magic-based.

Don't get it wrong though, just because it was called magic based, that doesn't mean that it was based on mana. And just because it was called science-based doesn't mean it was not based on mana. While mana always act as the main 'life force', that doesn't mean it was the main source of power. There are others like telesma, prana, chi, yin yang, leylines, circuits, od, life waves, god force or any other elements with all kinds of variety. It all depends on the worlds really. The only difference with the elements was that mana always existed everywhere in every world. That was why mana was the most widespread energy in universes.

That was also why Eternal generally uses 'magic' technique that utilizes mana and Eternity Swords skill. They don't normally uses other weapons since their powers are almost god-like and can destroy any local world resistance easily. The only threats posed to them are other Eternals or the Gods or Deity of said universe (if there are any). Naturally, most conventional weapons of any worlds are as good as toys against these existences.

Yuuto, once like others, also upholded this belief. But when he was almost killed by four nuclear missiles filled with a certain deadly substance called Anthrax Nova due to a backroom political deal of a certain backstabbing tyrant in a certain world and a whole new mutated hordes of undeads that followed the event, Yuuto adopted a whole new mindset where he hoarded every weapon he discovered during his journey into a dimensional weapon cache in his pocket (Wisdom spent a good half decade to build it). That mindset has certainly proven its use now.

"The primary focus of this world's military is how to combat the BETA threat effectively. While it was certainly beneficial on fighting the aliens, it also changed the mindset of most weapon researchers to be more primarily focused in a theme of 'weapons to kill BETAs' instead of the usual 'weapons to kill each other'." Yuuto analysed the pieces of information he deduced after coming into this world while still tinkering with the looted radio.

"Because of that, while several weapon creations does possess a threat to other nation's army, like certain models of TSFs or mechanised infantry. It has to be presented in a way that focused on the effectivity on how they could be used against the BETAs. If the focus were to be changed completely into how they could be used against other nations, then the project will undoubtedly be scrapped."

Humanity are fighting together as one against the BETAs. That might be a beautiful perceptive on how to look into this world, but reality was not always that kind.

Nations, countries, organizations, ideals. While all of them do have a common enemy called BETA, each of them was trying to gain something from this war, and it sometimes conflicted with what the public or the majority expected them to do. That was why they need to save face. Standard political maneuver, mind you. It needs to be noted that even if the BETA doesn't exist, it is doubtful that this practice will end as long as there is a government and politics.

"That is also why most politicians or generals need to present the fact that they were supporting the war effort. If they wanted to gain an advantage against other nations, like for example, by supporting a weapon research, _they will have to present how the weapon is effective against the BETA while omitting or half-concealing the fact on how it could also be used against other nations_." Yuuto explained, as he gritted his teeth when he received a tremendous damage blow in the form of static electricity from his battle with the radio.

"That was why the concept of a weapon like EMP Bomb is completely unknown. It was ultimately effective against military machinery, but it was completely useless against flesh and blood BETAs that do not possess any electrical-based organs. Developing EMP technology that can only be used against other nations will be condemned by the majority. Even if there are some group or someone that already came up with the concept or the idea, the majority of the people won't like it if their tax money are wasted on a weapon research against other countries instead of BETAs when humanity are _supposed _to be united. There might be some nation that considered developing it for black ops purposes, but they'll have to do it in secret. Even then, I doubted any nation would be stupid enough to waste their money on something that doesn't have any clear benefits. In this world, EMP technology is still on the level of strictly experimental science, maybe even less like an untested concept material. So a counter measure is not likely in the next few years."

That was what Yuuto had taken an advantage of.

Instead of using normal, brute force that most Eternals are fond of, he turned a military cultural difference into a loophole that he exploited using a conventional weapon from another world, in which he used to disable his opponent's fighting ability without any bloodshed.

Another inaudible sound appeared from the sword. Yuuto paused for a moment before he grinned as a static noise appeared from the radio when he finished tinkering with it.

"Of course I am. I didn't get called a Sage for nothing." Yuuto said as he gleamed in a not-so-subtle pride.

Then another inaudible sound came out, this time Yuuto frowned on what he heard from his partner.

"Yeah, I remember. There was unit of TSF deployed outside my cell. Unfortunately, they were outside the blast radius of the EMPs."

Yuuto was referring to the Special Task Force A-01 Valkyries.

The special ops unit directly under the command of the Vice Commander Kouzuki Yuuko. One of the elite and fresh batch of unit in the Yokohama Base.

With the no other entrance but the main door that was sealed and can only be destroyed by an artillery shot or a TSF high caliber bullet, the chances are high that they will be sent against Yuuto in the Reactor Chamber. Another inaudible sound from the sword seemed to remind Yuuto of that fact.

"I know, I know. Without you, I have a slim chance against another TSF much less a whole group. No, the chances are not 50%, it was more like 68%. And I'm not going to risk the 32%. Not with that Drama Queen still loitering around this world somewhere."

Another inaudible sound appeared. This time it sounded longer and with a hint of irritation. Meanwhile, Yuuto, that was using one of the unconscious MP as a makeshift sitting rag, sighed and pointed the looted radio as if he was showing it to the sword.

"I know, that's why I messed with this radio a bit. With this, hopefully we can get this over without getting attacked and walk out without having to do another pointless slaughter."

As Yuuto continued to change the channel frequency within the radio, the static sound disappeared, it was eventually replaced by a clear sound of several people. But Yuuto was clearly dissatisfied and continued changing the frequency.

"I just thought it was a generally sad thing, really. No matter what kind of world we went through, there is always war. Well, maybe that is the cruel reality, I guess. An everlasting world of peace might just be nigh impossible."

Heaving a sigh of relief when he found the right channel, Yuuto muttered to himself.

"Of course, that doesn't mean people should stop trying to achieve that utopia. Because when they do stop searching for it, it'll mark the end of their civilization and their humanity... or whatever they call their species are."

Holding the communication radio in hand, Yuuto sardonically smiled in irritation.

"I sincerely hope I don't have to see something like that. Given my extraordinary lifespan and how they always throw a crappy work at me, though, that is something I will eventually see. It's all part of the job, I guess."

Yuuto went silent as he was contemplating about the positive and negative consequences that will occur if he decided to use the radio.

"This is seriously one crappy job I have."

And he pushed a button that signaled the start of a very different type of battle.

* * *

**Not much to say really. Business goes on as usual. Updates are going slower, as I have warned previously. Heh, the updates might be going slower but that doesn't mean I'd stop. Oh no, you won't get rid of me that easily!**

**Next chapter: Ride of the Valkyries. Finally! The girls are back in action! ...sort of. Look forward to it! ...Or don't, that'd make things easier.**

**Man, I am _so_ negative.**


End file.
